THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


LEAVENING 
THE   LEVANT 


REV.  JOSEPH  K.    GREENE,  D.  D. 

FOR  FIFTY-ONE  YEARS  RESIDENT  IN  TURKEY 


Illustrated 


THE  PILGRIM  PRESS 

BOSTON     NEW  YORK     CHICAGO 
1916 


Copyright,   1916,  by 
FREDERICK  D.  GREENE 


All  rights  reserved 


Printed  and  Bound  by 
Rowland  &  Ives,  New  York 


D  V  01 


DEDICATED 

TO 

MY  HIGHLY  ESTEEMED  AND  GREATLY  BELOVED 
FELLOW  -  WORKERS,  MISSIONARY  AND  NATIVE. 


A   CALL  TO  AMERICA 

But  thou,  my  country,  though  no  fault  be  thine 
For  that  red  horror  far  across  the  sea. 
Though  not  a  tortured  wretch  can  point  to  thee 
And  charge  thee  with  the  selfishness  supine 
Of  those  great  powers  that  cowardly  combine 
To  shield  the  Turk  in  his  iniquity, 
Yet  since  thine  hand  is  innocent  and  free, 
Rise  thou  and  show  the  world  the  way  divine. 
Thou  canst  not  break  the  oppressor's  iron  rod, 
But  thou  canst  minister  to  the  oppressed. 
Thou  canst  not  loose  the  captive's  heavy  chain, 
But  thou  canst  bind  his  wound  and  ease  his  pain. 
Armenia  calls  thee,  Empire  of  the  West, 
To  play  the  good  Samaritan  for  God. 

HENRY  VAN  DYKE. 


INTRODUCTION 

BOOKS  by  masters  of  their  subjects  are  eagerly  sought  and 
gladly  read.  In  the  rush  and  exactions  of  modern  life  one 
finds  little  time  and  less  inclination  to  devote  to  the  writings 
of  theorists  or  the  output  of  dreamers.  Intelligent  men  and 
women  demand  authentic  utterances  by  recognized  masters, 
especially  when  a  country  or  a  people  are  under  consideration. 

In  this  book  upon  Turkey  we  find  the  product  of  a  master 
mind,  reinforced  by  more  than  half  a  century  of  life  within 
the  country  itself.  Not  only  did  Dr.  Greene  live  within 
Turkey  during  this  most  critical  and  revolutionary  period 
of  its  modern  history,  but  he  was  himself  an  important  factor 
in  that  history.  He  resided  at  different  places,  he  spoke  the 
vernacular  of  the  people,  he  was  the  friend  and  intimate  of 
leaders  among  the  historic  and  often  contending  races,  he 
observed  at  first  hand  the  kaleidoscopic  transformations  of 
peoples  and  country  and  breathed  the  atmosphere  of  the  East 
as  it  began  to  tingle  with  the  new  elements  of  life  that  filtered 
into  it  from  the  West,  and  so  became  able  to  interpret  those 
changes  into  Western  terms. 

Not  only  has  Dr.  Greene  lived  in  the  center  of  the  events 
he  describes,  but  he  has  been  a  wise  and  intelligent  delineator 
of  what  he  saw  as  well  as  a  careful  student  of  what  others 
have  observed  and  written.  A  student  and  maker  of  history, 
a  contributor  to  and  an  interpreter  of  the  life  and  longings 
of  the  people  of  the  Turkish  Empire,  the  author  of  this  book 
is  in  a  position  to  make  his  hearers  as  well  as  his  readers  see 
and  understand  questions  related  to  the  Ottoman  Empire 
over  which  multitudes  have  stumbled  for  generations. 


VI 


INTRODUCTION 


The  only  serious  question  was  as  to  whether  the  book  should 
wait  until  the  future  of  Turkey  is  settled.  As  this  contin- 
gency appears  so  remote,  it  has  seemed  best  to  send  out  this 
volume  as  a  trustworthy  record  and  a  reliable  discussion  of 
what  now  is,  leaving  another  chapter  to  be  added  when  the 
next  page  of  Ottoman  history  is  turned. 

JAMES  L.  BARTON, 
Secretary  of  the  American  Board. 


PREFACE 

THE  thought  of  writing  a  book  on  missions  in  Turkey  did 
not  originate  with  me,  but  was  suggested  by  numerous  friends. 
I  recognized  in  myself  no  special  fitness  for  such  work,  and 
gave  no  heed  to  the  suggestion.  On  October  31,  1914,  how- 
ever, I  was  subjected  to  a  severe  operation  in  Lakeside  Hos- 
pital, Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  while  lying  on  my  back  for  nearly 
a  month,  I  had  time  to  muse.  My  heart  was  filled  with 
gratitude  to  God  for  bringing  me  safely  through  the  opera- 
tion and  for  giving  me  a  new  lease  of  life,  and  I  longed  to 
testify  in  some  more  permanent  form  in  regard  to  God's 
work  in  Turkey.  As  I  mused,  the  plan  of  a  book  suggested 
itself  to  my  mind,  and  on  recovery  I  began  to  write.  It  has 
been  a  delightful  labor,  and  if  my  humble  efforts  should  in 
any  way  help  to  inform  the  friends  of  missions  in  regard  to 
the  work  in  Turkey,  and  so  stimulate  them  to  help  the  work 
and  move  them  to  prayer,  my  joy  will  be  full. 

My  purpose  was  not  to  write  a  history  of  the  work  of  the 
American  Board  in  Turkey,  but  to  set  forth  its  object  in 
sending  missionaries  to  that  land  and  to  indicate  the  agencies 
and  methods  which  have  been  adopted  in  carrying  forward 
the  work,  with  sketches  of  some  of  the  principal  workers. 
To  God  be  the  praise  for  the  large  success  which  has  attended 
the  work  during  the  past  95  years. 

I  have  hesitated  to  add  anything  of  a  personal  character, 
for  there  is  little  in  the  life  of  the  ordinary  missionary  to 
attract  attention  and  repay  perusal.  I  have,  however,  per- 
sonal and  family  reasons  for  special  thanksgiving,  and  a  life 
of  more  than  four  score  years  has  afforded  experiences  which 
may,  possibly,  prove  of  profit  to  the  friends  of  Christian  mis- 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

sions.  By  special  request,  therefore,  there  is  added  a  chapter 
of  Reminiscences. 

I  am  indebted  to  missionary  brethren  and  to  officers  of 
the  American  Board  for  valuable  suggestions. 

I  wish  also  to  make  special  mention  of  the  great  help  in 
bringing  out  this  book  and  in  securing  the  illustrations,  which 
I  have  received  from  my  son,  Rev.  Frederick  D.  Greene. 

J.  K.  G. 
Oberlin,  Ohio,  May  31,  1916. 


CONTENTS 

SECTION  I 
GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  TURKEY 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE      ., 1 

Asia  Minor,  Turks,  Greeks,  Armenians,  Jews,  Bulgari- 
ans, Albanians,  Syrians,  Egyptians,  Arabs. 

II     THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION  AND  THE  YOUNG  TURKS    33 

Extent  of  the  Armenian  Catastrophe. 

III  THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED     .     .     49 

How  to  Reach  Mohammedans — A  Converted  Moham- 
medan. 

SECTION  II 
SURVEY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  MISSIONS 

IV  SKETCHES  OF  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES     ....     66 

William  Goodell,  H.  G.  O.  Dwight,  William  G.  Schauf- 
fler,  Elias  Riggs,  Cyrus  Hamlin,  Benjamin  Schneider, 
George  W.  Wood,  George  W.  Dunmore. 

V    ATTITUDE  OF  THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  TOWARD 

THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES 96 

The  Bible  in  the  Vernacular  Languages — The  Forma- 
tion of  the  First  Evangelical  Church — The  Growth  of 
the  Work. 

VI    FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  WORK  .  110 

The  Formation  of  a  Protestant  Community — An  Able 
and  Devoted  Native  Ministry — The  Inculcation  of  the 
Principle  of  Self-Support — The  Inculcation  of  the 
Principle  of  Self-Government — The  Promotion  of  Edu- 
cation. 

VII    MISSION  ACTIVITIES  IN  STAMBOUL 127 

The  Mission  House — The  Bible  House — The  Treasury 
Department. 

ix 


x  CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

VIII     THE  LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS     .      .   136 
IX    RESULTS  OF  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  A  LOOK  FORWARD  .  155 

SECTION  III 

SURVEY  OF  THE  EDUCATIONAL  SYSTEM 
X    HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS  .     .     .  161 

Boarding  School  at  Adabazar — Boarding  School  at 
Marsovan — Harriet  Seymour  and  Caroline  E.  Bush — 
Charlotte  E.  Ely  and  Mary  A.  C.  Ely— Cqrinna  Shat- 
tuck — Central  Turkey  College  for  Girls — Constanti- 
nople College. 

XI    HIGH  SCHOOLS  FOR  BOYS 192 

Bitliynia  High  School,  Bardizag — Boys  High  School, 
Talas — Sivas  Normal  School. 

XII     COLLEGES  FOR  MEN    . 202 

Robert  College,  Constantinople — Central  Turkey  Col- 
lege, Aintab — Anatolia  College,  Marsovan — Euphrates 
College,  Harpout — International  College,  Smyrna — St. 
Paul's  Institute,  Tarsus — High  School  and  College, 
Van — Results  of  the  Educational  Agency. 

XIII  THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOLS 236 

Marsovan,  Harpout,  Marash,  Mardin. 

XIV  THE  BALKAN  MISSION 247 

The  Collegiate  and  Theological  Institute,  Samokov — 
Girls  Boarding  School,  Samokov — Thessalonica  Agri- 
cultural and  Industrial  Institute — Girls  Boarding 
School,  Monastir. 

SECTION  IV 
MISCELLANEOUS   AND    PERSONAL 

XV  THE  SATISFACTIONS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  CAREER  .  256 

XVI  THE  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE,  MISSIONARY  METHODS  .  264 

XVII    REMINISCENCES 271 

INDEX  .      .                                                                         .  347 


ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  MAPS 

Dr.  Joseph  K.  Greene Frontispiece 

FACING 

PAGE 

Map  of  Asia  Minor     .           2 

Armenia's  Grand  Old  Man 20 

Cathedral  of  Etchmiadzin 32 

Armenian  Orphans 36 

Defenders  of  Van 44 

Women  and  Children  of  Van 46 

Deportation  Map 47 

Dead  by  the  Eoadside 48 

Three  Great  Translators 66 

Bebek  Seminary  and  Robert  College .80 

Early  Missionaries  of  Western  Turkey 88 

Dress  of  an  Armenian  Mountaineer 96 

Specimen  Verses  in  Seven  Languages 101 

Native  Protestant  Leaders 112 

An  Armenian  Family  Group 120 

The  Bible  House  and  the  Pera  Church 128 

American  Hospitals,  Harpout  and  Talas 144 

Feeding  Armenian  Refugees 160 

F.  H.  Leslie  and  Professors  Bezjian  and  Levonian  .      .  182 

Girls  Schools,  Marash  and  Aintab 184 

Constantinople   College 190 

Girls  School,  Sivas  and  St.  Paul's  College,  Tarsus  .      .  198 

xi 


xii  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  MAPS 

FACING 
PAGE 

Educators,  Western  Turkey  Mission 202 

Central  Turkey  Missionaries 208 

Anatolia  College,  Marsovan 216 

Euphrates  College,  Harpout 220 

Harpout  Missionaries 222 

Van  and  Bitlis  Missionaries 232 

Armenian  Evangelical  Alliance  of  America   ....  240 

Map  of  the  Balkan  Mission 248 

Balkan  Missionaries 254 

Martyred  Professors 264 

Portraits  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greene 280 

Ruins  of  a  Kourdish  Castle 304 

An  Ancient  Armenian  Tombstone   .      .  .  330 


Leavening  the  Levant 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE 


THE  work  of  Foreign  Missions  undertaken  by  American 
Christians  had  its  first  impetus  in  the  loving  hearts  and 
awakened  minds  of  a  few  godly  students  of  Williams  Col- 
lege. By  reason  of  their  manifest  consecration  and  fixed 
purpose  to  preach  the  Gospel  among  the  heathen  these  young 
men  secured  the  support  of  a  few  Congregational  ministers 
of  Massachusetts,  who  united  to  form  the  American  Board. 
This  name  well  befitted  a  society  which  was  the  first  organi- 
zation formed  in  America  for  foreign  missionary  work,  and 
which  enlisted  the  sympathies  and  support  of  churches  of 
different  denominations. 

The  first  undertaking  of  the  American  Board  was  to  send, 
in  1812,  five  missionaries  and  their  wives  to  India.  The 
hardships  they  encountered  and  the  success  they  achieved  in 
India,  Ceylon,  and  Burma  are  known  to  the  world. 

The  second  undertaking  of  the  Board  was  to  send,  in 
October,  1819,  a  party  of  21  persons,  of  whom  only  two  were 
ordained  missionaries,  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Let  us 
pause  to  add  that  within  a  period  of  50  years  the  savages 
of  those  Islands  became  a  Christianized  and  civilized  com- 
munity, one-fourth  of  the  people  being  church  members, 
and  all  uniting,  at  an  expense  of  $43,000  in  a  single  year,  to 
support  schools,  with  15,000  pupils. 

The  third  undertaking  of  the  Board  was  to  send,  in  No- 

1 


2  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

vember,  1819,  Messrs.  Levi  Parsons  and  Pliny  Fisk  as  mi 
sionaries  to  Turkey,  primarily  to  the  Jews  of  Palestin 
These  brethren  completed  their  earthly  service  within 
period  of  six  years,  and  by  their  spotless  lives  and  Christlil 
devotion  they  made  a  deep  impression  upon  not  a  few  Chri 
tians,  Jews,  and  Mohammedans.  By  their  work  of  explor 
tion  they  opened  the  way  for  their  successors.  Their  repor 
impressed  upon  the  minds  of  the  officers  and  friends  of  tl 
Board  the  importance  and  practicability  of  establishing  mi 
sions  in  Turkey.  This  conclusion  was  confirmed  by  the  r 
ports  of  Messrs.  Eli  Smith  and  H.  G.  0.  Dwight,  who  : 
1830—31  made  an  extensive  tour  in  Asia  Minor  and  Persi 
and  supplied  very  full  and  valuable  information  respectir 
the  material  and  spiritual  condition  of  the  different  peopl 
found  in  the  lands  visited.  Thus  the  Board  entered  on  i 
work  in  Turkey  only  after  years  of  inquiry  and  discussio 
rightly  judging  that  in  historical,  archaeological,  and  Biblic 
interest  no  lands  compared  with  Asia  Minor,  Syria,  ar 
Egypt,  and  that  the  revival  of  Christianity  in  those  anciei 
Bible  lands  was  a  matter  of  paramount  importance  to  tho; 
who  wished  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Mohammedans  < 
Turkey.  Let  us  now  pass  those  lands  and  the  people  inhabi 
ing  them  in  brief  review. 

ASIA  MINOR 

Asia  Minor  is  about  1,000  miles  long  and  400  wide, 
land  as  large  as  New  York,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  a  part  < 
Illinois.  It  is  divided,  east  and  west,  by  the  Taun 
mountains,  and,  north  and  south,  by  the  Anti-Taurus  < 
Mount  Ararat  range,  mountains  which  terminate  in  pea] 
from  10,000  to  17,000  feet  high,  namely  in  Mount  Argaai 
near  Cesarea  in  the  west  and  in  the  mountains  of  Ararat  : 
the  east.  It  has  four  principal  rivers,  Sangarius  in  the  we 
which  drains  the  ancient  provinces  of  Galatia,  Phrygia,  ar 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE  3 

Bithynia  and  empties  into  the  Black  Sea,  the  Halys  (Kizil 
Irmak)  in  the  center,  also  emptying  into  the  Black  Sea,  and 
the  Tigris  and  Euphrates  in  the  east  emptying  into  the 
Persian  Gulf.  It  is  a  land  of  great  plains,  denuded  of  trees 
and  surrounded  by  high  hills  or  mountains.  Many  of  the 
large  towns  ajid  cities  are  situated,  each,  at  the  foot  of  some 
mountain,  facing  a  plain.  Eastern  Asia  Minor,  the  land  of 
ancient  Armenia,  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  plateau,  several 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  On  the  whole  the  country  has 
a  good  climate,  cold  in  winter  in  the  northern  and  eastern 
sections,  and  hot  in  summer  in  the  central  and  southern  sec- 
tions. 

Asia  Minor  is  a  land  of  great  fertility.  After  thousands 
of  years  of  cultivation,  and  without  the  use  of  fertilizers,  it 
still  produces  excellent  wheat,  rye,  barley,  and  oats,  all  kinds 
of  fruits  and  vegetables,  fine  woods,  wools,  and  dyes,  and,  in 
some  parts,  cotton,  rice,  and  tobacco.  Large  sections  of  the 
country  are  given  up  to  pasturage  of  flocks  and  herds.  From 
the  time  of  Abraham  there  has  been  scarcely  any  change  in 
methods  of  agriculture,  and  the  people  still  use  the  spade  and 
a  very  simple  plough,  and  still  thresh  the  grain  with  sledge 
and  oxen  on  the  threshing  floor.  It  is  a  land  of  valuable 
mines,  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  iron  and  coal — mines,  however, 
which  the  Turks  have  neither  worked  nor  allowed  others  to 
work,  save  to  a  very  limited  extent.  On  the  whole  Asia 
Minor  is  a  goodly  land,  and  under  the  rule  of  a  just  and 
helpful  government  it  could  easily  sustain  four  times  its 
present  population.  Turks,  Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Jews 
are  the  principal  inhabitants  of  Asia  Minor,  and  of  them  we 
will  speak  in  turn. 

THE  TURKS 

In  the  early  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  the  vast  country 
of  central  Asia  called  Turkestan  was  the  prolific  mother  of 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE  3 

Bithynia  and  empties  into  the  Black  Sea,  the  Halys  (Kizil 
Irmak)  in  the  center,  also  emptying  into  the  Black  Sea,  and 
the  Tigris  and  Euphrates  in  the  east  emptying  into  the 
Persian  Gulf.  It  is  a  land  of  great  plains,  denuded  of  trees 
and  surrounded  by  high  hills  or  mountains.  Many  of  the 
large  towns  and  cities  are  situated,  each,  at  the  foot  of  some 
mountain,  facing  a  plain.  Eastern  Asia  Minor,  the  land  of 
ancient  Armenia,  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  plateau,  several 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  On  the  whole  the  country  has 
a  good  climate,  cold  in  winter  in  the  northern  and  eastern 
sections,  and  hot  in  summer  in  the  central  and  southern  sec- 
tions. 

Asia  Minor  is  a  land  of  great  fertility.  After  thousands 
of  years  of  cultivation,  and  without  the  use  of  fertilizers,  it 
still  produces  excellent  wheat,  rye,  barley,  and  oats,  all  kinds 
of  fruits  and  vegetables,  fine  woods,  wools,  and  dyes,  and,  in 
some  parts,  cotton,  rice,  and  tobacco.  Large  sections  of  the 
country  are  given  up  to  pasturage  of  flocks  and  herds.  From 
the  time  of  Abraham  there  has  been  scarcely  any  change  in 
methods  of  agriculture,  and  the  people  still  use  the  spade  and 
a  very  simple  plough,  and  still  thresh  the  grain  with  sledge 
and  oxen  on  the  threshing  floor.  It  is  a  land  of  valuable 
mines,  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  iron  and  coal — mines,  however, 
which  the  Turks  have  neither  worked  nor  allowed  others  to 
work,  save  to  a  very  limited  extent.  On  the  whole  Asia 
Minor  is  a  goodly  land,  and  under  the  rule  of  a  just  and 
helpful  government  it  could  easily  sustain  four  times  its 
present  population.  Turks,  Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Jews 
are  the  principal  inhabitants  of  Asia  Minor,  and  of  them  we 
will  speak  in  turn. 

THE  TURKS 

In  the  early  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  the  vast  country 
of  central  Asia  called  Turkestan  was  the  prolific  mother  of 


4  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

numerous  Tartar  tribes.  The  land  was  too  narrow  for  them, 
and  colonies  migrated  east  to  Mongolia  and  west  to  lands 
beyond  the  Caspian  Sea.  The  tribes  migrating  to  the  west 
were  early  known  as  Turks.  Pliny  mentions  them  under  the 
name  of  Turcse.  In  the  sixth  century  (569)  the  Turks 
formed  an  alliance  with  the  Emperor  Justin  II,  and  in  the 
seventh  century  (626)  with  the  Emperor  Heraclius.  In  the 
ninth  century  (841)  thousands  of  Turkish  mercenaries  en- 
tered the  service  of  the  Caliph  Motassem  in  Bagdad  as  his 
bodyguard.  Coming  in  contact  with  Mohammedans,  they 
embraced  the  religion  of  Islam.  Eventually  they  became 
turbulent  and  dangerous,  and  compelled  the  caliphs  to  sur- 
render to  themselves  the  temporal  supremacy  in  the  Saracen 
empire.  In  the  eleventh  century  (1042)  a  tribe  of  Turks 
called  Seljuk  settled  in  Persia,  and  within  a  period  of  50 
years  under  the.  lead  of  three  great  conquerors  established  an 
empire  extending  from  the  borders  of  China  to  the  Grecian 
Archipelago  and  from  the  Black  Sea  to  the  Nile,  but  upon 
the  death  of  Malik  Shah,  the  last  of  the  conquerors,  the 
empire  broke  in  pieces.  One  vigorous  branch  of  the  Sel- 
jukian  dynasty,  however,  swept  across  Asia  Minor  and  estab- 
lished itself  in  the  ancient  city  of  Nice  (Nicsea),  70  miles 
southeast  of  Constantinople.  Driven  from  Nice  by  the 
armies  of  the  first  crusade  (1097),  the  Seljukian  Turks  made 
Iconium  (Konia)  their  seat  of  government,  and  extended 
their  power  through  western  Asia  Minor  and  Syria.  They 
were  frequently  in  conflict  with  the  crusaders,  and  main- 
tained their  rule  for  nearly  two  centuries.  About  the  year 
1250  a  horde  of  Mongols  under  the  lead  of  one  of  the  suc- 
cessors of  the  great  Mongol  conqueror  Jenghis  Khan,  crossing 
Asia  Minor  in  search  of  plunder,  engaged  the  army  of  the 
Sultan  of  Iconium  on  the  plain  of  Angora.  At  the  very 
crisis  of  the  battle,  Turks  of  another  tribe  under  their  chief 
Ertogrul  and  numbering  only  400  horsemen  suddenly  ap- 
peared, and  by  their  timely  aid  gave  the  victory  to  the 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE  5 

Seljukian  Turks.  As  a  reward  Ertogrul  was  permitted 
to  pass  on  to  the  rich  province  of  Bithynia  and  settled  at 
Seoyiid,  140  miles  southeast  of  Constantinople.  Here  Erto- 
grul died  in  1288,  leaving  his  possessions  to  his  son  Osman, 
the  founder  of  the  Ottoman  dynasty,  which,  without  a  break, 
has  ruled  Turkey  for  600  years.  Such  was  the  small  begin- 
ning of  the  Turkish  Empire. 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  Ottoman  Turks  may  be 
divided  into  three  periods. 

The  first  period,  of  154  years,  was  the  period  of  slow 
growth. 

The  followers  of  Osman  continued  the  conquest  of  the 
surrounding  country  and  increased  in  numbers  both  from 
the  coming  of  fresh  Turks  and  from  the  adherence  of  many 
Christians,  who  either  voluntarily  or  by  compulsion  became 
Mohammedans.  In  1299  Osman  captured  Nicomedia,  only 
60  miles  east  of  Constantinople,  and  this  date  marks  the 
beginning  of  the  Ottoman  empire.  In  1326  the  tribe  of 
Osman,  still  further  increased,  captured  Brousa,  70  miles 
south  of  Constantinople,  and  for  35  years  made  that  city 
their  capital.  In  1356  the  Turks  crossed  the  Dardanelles 
into  Europe,  and  in  1361  captured  Adrianople,  and  for 
92  years  made  that  city  their  capital.  In  1389  the  Chris- 
tian peoples  of  the  Balkan  peninsula — the  Servians,  Bosnians, 
Herzegovinians,  Albanians,  and  Bulgarians — all  under  the 
leadership  of  Lazar,  king  of  the  Servians,  gave  battle  to  the 
Turks  on  the  plain  of  Kossovo  in  Macedonia,  and  suffered  a 
terrible  defeat.  In  1448,  on  the  same  plain  of  Kossovo,  the 
allied  Balkan  peoples,  under  the  great  Hungarian  leader 
Hunniades,  again  attacked  the  Turks  and  again  were  de- 
feated. This  was  the  last  united  attempt  of  the  Balkan 
peoples  to  fight  the  Turks  until  the  year  1912.  The  Turks, 
by  gradual  conquest  in  Asia  Minor  and  in  Europe,  by  growth 
from  within  and  by  the  constant  addition  of  Christian  rene- 
gades, at  length  in  1453  captured  the  gem  of  the  Eastern 


6  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

world,  the  imperial  city  of  Constantinople.  It  is  a  striking 
fact,  that  so  small  was  their  beginning  and  so  slow  their 
progress,  that  the  Ottoman  Turks,  even  after  the  capture  of 
Nicomedia  in  1299,  required  154  years  to  take  Constantinople. 

At  the  same  time  it  may  well  be  said  that,  compared  with 
the  growth  of  other  nations,  the  development  of  the  Otto- 
man empire  till  the  time  of  Suleiman  the  Magnificent 
(1520-66)  was  rapid  to  a  degree  unknown  elsewhere  in  his- 
tory. 

The  second  period  of  121  years — from  1453  to  1574 — was 
the  period  of  greatest  extension. 

During  this  period  the  Ottoman  armies,  with  few  defeats, 
won  many  brilliant  victories,  and  extended  the  limits  of  the 
empire  until  it  embraced  Asia  Minor,  Syria,  Arabia,  Egypt, 
Tripoli,  Tunis,  Algiers,  the  Crimea  and  the  entire  southern 
portion  of  Russia,  all  that  was  called  European  Turkey,  the 
greater  part  of  Hungary,  Greece  and  the  Grecian  Islands. 
The  zenith  of  Turkish  power  was  reached  during  the  reigns 
of  Suleiman  the  Magnificent  and  of  his  son,  Selim  II,  extend- 
ing from  1520  to  1574.  In  September,  1529,  Suleiman  at- 
tacked Vienna  with  250,000  men  and  400  cannon,  but,  for- 
tunately for  Christendom,  was  obliged,  after  a  few  weeks,  to 
raise  the  siege  and  retire. 

What  now  were  the  causes  of  the  wonderful  success  of  the 
Turkish  arms? 

The  first  cause  of  Ottoman  success  is  found  in  the  fact 
that,  for  300  years  after  the  capture  of  Nicomedia,  the 
dynasty  of  Osman  gave  to  the  empire  12  great  rulers — 
men  who,  after  the  traditional  conception  of  a  Mohammedan 
ruler,  were  absolute  and  irresponsible  despots,  but  who,  at 
the  same  time,  were  intrepid  and  skillful  in  war,  wise  in 
government,  conciliatory  towards  conquered  nations,  and 
generally  faithful  to  their  treaty  engagements.  These  rulers 
gave  a  considerable  portion  of  the  conquered  land  for  the 
use  of  the  common  people,  another  portion  to  their  principal 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE  7 

followers,  and  another  portion  for  the  maintenance  of  Mo- 
hammedan worship.  Finally,  the  early  Turkish  rulers  knew 
how  to  attract  to  their  service  talented  men  from  among 
their  Christian  subjects.  According  to  Von  Hammer,  from 
the  capture  of  Constantinople  in  1453  to  the  Crimean  war  in 
1854,  a  period  of  400  years,  out  of  48  leading  men  who  were 
made  grand  viziers  36  were  men  of  Christian  extraction  and 
12  only  were  Turks.  "It  is,"  says  a  Venetian  ambassador 
at  the  court  of  Selim  II,  in  1573,  "it  is  in  the  highest 
degree  remarkable  that  the  wealth,  the  administration,  the 
force — in  short,  the  body  politic  of  the  Ottoman  empire — 
rests  upon,  and  is  entrusted  to,  men  born  in  the  Christian 
faith." 

The  second  cause  of  Ottoman  success  is  the  fact  that,  100 
years  before  any  similar  body  was  formed  in  Europe,  the 
Turks  organized  a  disciplined  military  force,  and,  strange  to 
say,  this  force  came  from  a  Christian  stock.  About  the  year 
1330,  by  command  of  Orkhan,  the  second  Sultan,  the  brightest 
boys  from  Christian  families  were  forcibly  taken  from  their 
parents  at  an  early  age,  were  instructed  in  the  tenets  and 
practices  of  Islam,  inured  to  the  discipline  of  arms,  and 
embodied  in  a  military  force,  called  in  Turkish  * '  Yeni  Cheri, ' ' 
which  Occidentals  have  changed  to  Janissary.  The  Turkish 
words  meant  New  Troops.  These  troops,  numbering,  up  to 
the  time  of  the  capture  of  Constantinople,  some  10,000 
men,  were  afterwards  largely  increased,  and  until  1680  were 
recruited  from  Christian  families.  "Thus,"  says  Von  Ham- 
mer, "the  strength  of  Turkish  despotism  repaired  itself  in 
the  heart-blood  of  Christendom,  and  by  means  of  this  cun- 
ning engine  of  statecraft  Christendom  was  compelled  to  tear 
herself  to  pieces  by  the  hands  of  her  own  children."  A 
disciplined  force  of  cavalry,  composed  of  Turks  and  called 
Sipahi,  was  also  formed.  These  bodies  of  foot  and  horse 
formed  the  backbone  of  every  Turkish  army.  They  were 
filled  with  a  fervid  esprit  de  corps,  animated  by  a  single  sen- 


8  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

timent  and  capable  of  swift  movement;  they  were  also  well 
fed  and  rewarded  with  the  spoil  of  their  enemies  and  the 
gift  of  land.  On  the  other  hand,  the  European  armies 
opposed  to  the  Turks  were  composed  of  a  motley  multitude 
of  serfs,  of  different  nationalities,  unaccustomed  to  united 
action  and  without  thorough  discipline.  No  wonder,  then, 
that  for  a  period  of  350  years  in  many  a  dreadful  conflict 
the  Ottoman  armies  were  generally  victorious,  and  the  name 
of  Janissary  became  the  terror  of  European  armies.  No 
wonder  that  with  the  Saracens  in  Spain  and  the  Turks  in 
eastern  Europe,  all  Christendom  was  alarmed  lest  the  two 
horns  of  the  Moslem  crescent  should  unite  and  enclose  the 
Christian  nations  of  Europe  in  overwhelming  ruin. 

The  third  period  of  Ottoman  rule,  extending  from  1574 
to  the  present  time,  was  the  period  of  decline. 

Worsted  in  several  conflicts  with  Austria,  attacked  again 
and  again  by  their  inveterate  foe  the  Russians,  torn  by  fierce 
contests  for  the  throne,  and  greatly  weakened  by  oft-recurring 
revolts,  the  Turks  were  obliged  to  relinquish  Hungary,  the 
Crimea,  Bessarabia,  Roumania,  Albania,  Servia,  Bulgaria, 
Greece,  a  large  part  of  eastern  Asia  Minor,  Egypt,  Tunis, 
Tripoli,  Algiers,  and  nearly  all  the  JEgean  Islands.  Since 
the  year  1800  the  Ottoman  territory  in  Europe  alone  has 
been  diminished  to  the  extent  of  169,000  square  miles.  The 
population  of  these  European  lands  lost  to  Turkey  is  today 
19,000,000.  After  the  Treaty  of  Berlin,  of  1878,  there  re- 
mained under  the  dominion  of  the  Turks  in  Europe  only 
6,000,000  people.  Indeed,  three  separate  times  Turkey  was 
saved  from  still  severer  losses,  if  not  from  utter  destruction, 
by  the  intervention  of  England. 

What  now  were  the  causes  of  Ottoman  decline  ? 

The  first  cause  was  the  degeneracy  of  Turkish  rulers. 
Since  1574  there  has  been  no  great  leader  save  Sultan  Mah- 
moud  the  Second,  who  in  1826  destroyed  the  Janissaries. 
Formerly  the  heirs  to  the  throne  were  carefully  trained  and 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE  9 

were  strengthened  in  capacity  and  character  by  sharing  high 
civil  and  military  responsibilities.  Nearly  three  centuries 
ago,  however,  the  Sultans,  owing  to  fear  of  treachery  and 
insurrection  on  the  part  of  the  royal  princes,  discontinued 
the  old  and  the  only  practical  way  to  develop  their  sons; 
and  for  many  generations  the  heirs  to  the  throne,  consigned 
to  the  companionship  of  eunuchs  and  slaves,  enervated  by 
luxury  and  indulgence  and  unaccustomed  to  the  duties  of 
government,  have  ceased  to  lead  their  armies  and  to  show 
the  executive  capacity  of  their  ancestors. 

The  second  cause  of  Ottoman  decline  was  the  fact  that, 
from  the  year  1680  the  Janissaries,  transmitting  their  pro- 
fession of  arms  from  father  to  son  and  no  longer  recruited 
from  the  Christian  subjects,  steadily  deteriorated  as  a  fighting 
force,  and  by  their  revolts  and  crimes  became  a  menace  to 
both  the  rulers  and  people. 

The  third  reason  of  Ottoman  decline  is  that  the  very  struc- 
ture of  the  state  has  robbed  it  of  the  willing  support  of  its 
non-Mussulman  subjects,  who,  until  the  independence  of 
Greece  and  the  erection  of  Christian  principalities  in  Euro- 
pean Turkey,  numbered  about  one-half  of  the  entire  popula- 
tion. 

The  Koran  is  the  fundamental  law  of  every  Mohammedan 
state,  and,  according  to  the  Koran,  non-Mussulman  subjects 
have  no  share  in  the  administration  of  government  or  of 
justice,  and  in  the  practical  enjoyment  of  civil  rights  there 
is  no  equality  between  Mohammedans  and  non-Mohammedans. 
The  Turks  have  looked  down  upon  their  Christian  subjects 
with  arrogance  and  disdain,  and  have  subjected  them  to  many 
forms  of  hardship  and  oppression.  Thus  they  have  alienated 
one-half  of  the  population.  To  gain  the  confidence  of  their 
Christian  subjects  and  secure  their  hearty  allegiance,  the 
Turks  had  need  to  change  the  very  basis  of  the  Ottoman 
government;  had  need,  in  short,  to  separate  the  Ottoman 
state  from  the  Mohammedan  religious  body.  To  change  the 


10  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

very  basis  of  the  Mohammedan  state,  however,  and  to  bring 
it  into  conformity  with  the  modern  view  of  equality  of  civil 
rights  has  hitherto  been  found  to  be  impossible.  The  Moham- 
medan religion  when  first  accepted  by  the  barbarous  Turks 
gave  them  some  new  and  grand  ideas,  and  inspired  them  with 
the  zeal  of  fanatics;  but,  from  the  very  beginning,  in  its 
formal  worship,  in  its  pernicious  customs,  in  its  defective 
morality,  in  its  arrogance  and  intellectual  stagnation  it 
planted  the  seeds  of  decline  and  decay.  The  result  is  seen 
in  a  state  without  progress,  in  a  home  where  woman  has  been 
degraded,  in  a  society  where  religion  and  morality  have  been 
divorced,  and  in  a  people  which,  by  reason  of  polygamy,  con- 
cubinage, slavery,  and  crimes  against  nature  has  been  steadily 
diminishing  in  numbers  and  strength. 

In  the  past  century  attempts  at  reform  were  made  by 
Sultan  Selim  III,  Sultan  Mahmoud  II,  and  Sultan  Medjid, 
but  the  imperial  edicts  promising  equal  civil  rights  and  re- 
ligious liberty  failed  to  secure  the  support  of  the  great  body 
of  Mohammedans,  and  were  never  heartily  enforced.  The 
Great  Powers  of  Europe  likewise,  aiming  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  Christian  subjects  of  Turkey,  caused  to  be 
inserted  in  the  Treaty  of  Paris  of  1856,  and  in  the  Treaty  of 
Berlin  of  1878,  articles  which  recognized  and  commended 
the  reforms  promised  by  the  Turkish  rulers;  but  the  execu- 
tion of  these  reforms  was  left  to  the  Turks,  and  the  European 
Powers  have  never  made  a  united  and  hearty  effort  to  secure 
reform  in  Turkey.  In  fact,  the  ineffective  meddling  in 
Turkish  affairs  on  the  part  of  Europe  has  done  more  harm 
than  good. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  in  July,  1908,  the 
Turkish  revolution  inaugurated  by  the  Young  Turks  sur- 
prised and  delighted  the  world.  There  is  reason  to  believe 
that  at  least  20  per  cent  of  the  Turkish  people  really 
meant  to  revolutionize  the  Turkish  government.  The  Young 
Turks  started  out  with  the  noble  motto  of  liberty,  justice, 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        11 

equality  and  fraternity,  words  which  they  never  learned 
from  Mohammedanism,  but  from  Christian  Europe  and 
America.  They  deposed  the  cruel  tyrant  Sultan  Abdul 
Hamid,  organized  a  parliament  of  245  deputies,  including 
quite  a  number  of  Christians,  all  chosen  by  vote  of  the  people, 
recalled  40,000  exiles,  dismissed  30,000  spies,  punished  by 
death  many  Turks  guilty  of  reaction  and  massacre  in 
Constantinople  and  Adana  in  1909,  embodied  Christian 
soldiers  in  the  army,  granted  freedom  of  worship  in  pri- 
vate houses,  freedom  of  public  assembly,  freedom  of  travel, 
freedom  of  the  press,  and  freedom  of  education  for  Mos- 
lem students.  In  short,  the  Young  Turks  attempted  to  secure, 
not  only  the  overthrow  of  despotic  rule,  but  also  equal 
civil  rights  for  all  Ottoman  subjects.  This  attempt  received 
official  sanction  from  the  Sheikh-ul-Islam,  who,  by  a  circular 
letter  addressed  to  all  the  religious  leaders  of  the  Turks, 
declared  that,  by  a  correct  interpretation  of  the  Koran,  the 
sacred  law  of  Islam  accords  with  the  demands  of  a  constitu- 
tional government  and  of  modern  civilization.  This  declara- 
tion was  not  in  harmony  with  Mohammedan  tradition  or 
practice,  but  was  most  significant.  The  leading  Turkish 
newspapers  of  Constantinople  also  labored  to  convince  the 
Moslem  population  that  the  new  movement  harmonized  with 
the  teachings  of  the  Koran.  The  newspaper  organ  of  the 
Young  Turk  party,  called  the  Tanin,  published  sometime 
after  the  revolution  of  1908  this  remarkable  declaration: 
1  'We  cannot  survive  as  a  nation  without  the  sympathy  of 
Europe,  and  we  cannot  get  the  sympathy  of  Europe  unless 
we  conform  to  European  forms  of  government." 

Sad  to  say,  the  new  movement,  so  hopefully  begun,  failed 
to  develop  really  wise,  capable,  unselfish  and  patriotic  leaders, 
and  the  Young  Turks,  in  order  to  conciliate  the  old  and  tradi- 
tionary Moslem  sentiment  and  so  strengthen  their  position, 
tried  to  merge  all  the  peoples  of  Turkey  in  one  type  of  Os- 
manli  subject,  without  due  regard  to  differences  of  race, 


12  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

language  and  religion,  and  so  alienated  their  most  earnest 
supporters.  Then  again  the  attention  of  the  new  govern- 
ment was  very  largely  occupied  with  foreign  questions— with 
the  action  of  Austria  in  annexing  the  two  Turkish  provinces 
of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  of  Bulgaria  in  declaring  herself 
independent,  of  the  Greeks  in  Crete  in  demanding  union 
with  Greece,  and  of  Italy  in  her  seizure  of  Tripoli.  Thus 
the  Young  Turks,  intent  on  carrying  out  Utopian  projects  at 
home  and  preoccupied  with  external  questions,  failed  to  con- 
ciliate the  people  by  internal  reforms,  especially  in  Mace- 
donia. The  Great  Powers  who  were  parties  to  the  Treaty 
of  Berlin  specially  stipulated  for  reforms  in  that  province, 
but,  strange  to  say,  as  usual  left  the  execution  of  these  re- 
forms to  the  Ottoman  government,  and  the  Turks,  both  under 
Sultan  Hamid  and  under  the  new  government,  through  delay 
lost  the  golden  opportunity  to  settle  the  burning  question  of 
Macedonia.  In  this  province  some  600,000  Bulgarians,  400,- 
000  Servians,  400,000  Mohammedans  and  300,000  Greeks 
have  for  many  years  been  engaged  in  bitter  racial  and  re- 
ligious conflicts,  and  revolutionary  bands  made  up  of  Bul- 
garians, Greeks  and  Servians,  have  in  turn  harassed,  robbed 
and  murdered  the  people.  An  autonomous  administration, 
under  a  wise  and  firm  Christian  governor,  with  a  body  of 
native  police  under  able  European  officers,  and  with  the  ad- 
ministration of  equal  justice  for  all,  would  have  satisfied 
the  people  and  quieted  the  province. 

Profiting  from  this  situation  the  four  Balkan  States,  form- 
ing a  secret  alliance,  in  1912  declared  war  against  Turkey. 

Of  these  states  Montenegro,  though  several  times  overrun 
by  the  Turks,  has  always  recovered  her  freedom;  Greece  has 
been  independent  for  80  years,  and  Servia  and  Bulgaria 
have  been  entirely  free  from  Turkish  control  since  the  Treaty 
of  Berlin  in  1878.  Hence,  in  recent  years,  these  states  have 
had  no  special  complaint  against  the  Turks.  What  then  were 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        13 

the  causes  of  the  war?  The  motives  of  the  allied  states  were 
three. 

First,  the  memory  of  ancient  wrongs  ever  rankled  in  the 
breast  of  every  Greek  and  Slav.  The  cruelty  of  the  early 
subjugation  of  these  races,  the  oppression  of  centuries,  and 
the  injustice  and  arrogance  of  the  Turks  provoked  undying 
hatred.  Under  such  circumstances  revenge  was  sweet. 
Hence  the  peoples  and  the  governments  of  the  Balkan  States, 
from  the  time  they  achieved  self-government,  began  to 
sharpen  their  swords  and  to  prepare  for  the  opportunity  of 
avenging  themselves  on  their  ancient  foe. 

Secondly,  the  peoples  of  the  Balkan  States  were  moved  by 
sympathy  for  their  co-religionists  still  under  the  Turkish 
rule.  The  kings  of  all  the  allied  states  set  forth  in  their 
declaration  of  war  that  their  object  was  to  deliver  their  fellow- 
countrymen  from  oppression.  And  this  was  true,  though  not 
the  whole  truth.  Indeed,  had  the  Bulgarians,  Servians  and 
Greeks  of  Macedonia  come  to  an  agreement  among  themselves, 
they  might  very  greatly  have  ameliorated  their  sad  condition. 
It  is  difficult  to  apportion  the  responsibility,  but  it  is  clear, 
that  of  all  parties  concerned,  the  ruling  Turks  were  the  most 
to  blame.  Authority  was  in  their  hands  and  theirs  was  the 
chief  responsibility. 

Thirdly,  the  allied  States  had  a  passionate  desire  to  extend 
their  borders.  In  medieval  times  Bulgarians  and  Servians 
ruled,  in  turn,  over  almost  all  the  Balkan  peninsula.  These 
people  cherished  the  memory  of  their  ancient  power  and  glory, 
and  they,  together  with  the  Montenegrins  and  Greeks,  for 
racial  and  commercial  interests  naturally  desired  to  extend 
their  bounds.  In  short,  in  the  progress  of  the  war,  all  motives 
combined  in  the  purpose  to  drive  the  Turks  from  Europe  and 
to  divide  the  Balkan  lands  among  the  Balkan  States. 

The  war  was  short  and  decisive  and  the  success  of  the 
allied  armies  surprised  the  world.  The  four  Balkan  States 


14  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

won  great  victories  in  the  face  of  large  Turkish  armies.  All 
this  they  were  enabled  to  do  by  rapid  movement,  by  the 
secrecy  of  their  operations,  by  the  superior  strategy  of  their 
commanders,  by  the  bravery  and  endurance  of  their  soldiers, 
by  the  excellence  of  their  organization  and  discipline,  by  suc- 
cessful arrangements  for  feeding  their  armies  and  by  their 
superior  artillery.  In  all  these  respects  these  "ex-slaves" 
of  the  Turks  evinced  their  superiority,  gave  their  former 
masters  such  a  beating  as  they  had  never  had  before,  and 
showed  what  freedom  can  do.  In  all  previous  wars  the  Turks 
had  fought  against  great  European  armies,  but  the  humilia- 
tion which  they  were  now  called  upon  to  endure  was  that 
they  were  beaten  by  those  whom  they  formerly  despised  as 
"rayah"  or  slaves. 

Sad  to  say,  the  Balkan  States  and  Greece,  after  defeating 
the  Turks,  declined  to  accept  the  advice  of  the  Great  Powers 
of  Europe  and  refused  to  settle  their  differences  in  regard 
to  the  division  of  the  conquered  territory  by  conference  and 
mutual  concession.  Hence  arose  the  second  Balkan  war,  be- 
tween Bulgaria  on  the  one  side  and  Servia  and  Greece  on 
the  other  side;  a  war  which  led  to  dreadful  losses  to  all  the 
parties,  especially  to  Bulgaria.  Treaties  were,  however, 
eventually  signed,  and  peace  was  reestablished.  As  a  result 
of  the  war  Turkish  authority  was  excluded  from  Europe,  save 
that  Adrianople  and  the  southeastern  section  of  Thrace,  in- 
cluding Constantinople,  remained  to  the  Turks.  This  ex- 
clusion of  the  Turkish  rule  from  the  Balkan  peninsula  was 
a  righteous  act.  In  this  beautiful  part  of  Europe  the  Turks 
had  held  undivided  sway  for  nearly  500  years,  and  in  all 
this  period  they  had  never  learned  to  rule  with  equal 
justice  over  Moslem  and  non-Moslem  peoples.  They  had 
taxed  the  people  and  had  themselves  eaten  up  the  taxes. 
They  had  failed  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  people,  and 
so  had  never  won  their  confidence  and  willing  support.  In 
short,  they  were  unprofitable  servants,  and  so  were  rightly 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        15 

excluded  from  the  lands  which  they  won  and  held  by  the 
sword. 

To  the  Turks,  however,  there  remained,  besides  Adrianople 
and  Constantinople  in  Europe,  the  lands  of  Asia  Minor  and 
Syria,  with  17,000,000  inhabitants.  Of  these  inhabitants 
12,000,000  are  reckoned  as  Mohammedans  and  5,000,000  as 
Christians  and  Jews.  In  the  Balkan  peninsula  outside  of 
Turkish  territory,  there  are  about  2,000,000  Mohammedans, 
but  the  large  majority  of  them  are  not  of  Turkish  but 
of  Christian  extraction,  whose  ancestors,  whether  Bosnian, 
Albanian,  Servian  or  Bulgarian,  became  Mohammedan  after 
the  Turkish  invasion  in  order  to  preserve  their  lives  and 
property  and  honor.  Of  the  12,000,000  Mohammedans  still 
under  Turkish  rule,  exclusive  of  the  inhabitants  of  Arabia, 
some  9,000,000  are  of  Turkish  extraction,  and  the  remainder 
are  Pomaks,  Circassians,  Lazes,  Euruks,  Kizilbashes,  and 
others.  The  Turks  of  the  latter  times  have  not  been  a  pro- 
lific race,  and  by  reason  of  losses  in  innumerable  wars, 
by  reason  of  polygamy,  unrestrained  divorce,  practices 
against  nature  and  poverty  have  for  a  long  time  been 
diminishing  in  number.  It  is  said  that  the  real  Turks  in 
large  areas  of  Asia  Minor  do  not  number  more  than  seven. to 
the  square  mile.  Moreover  time  has  brought  about  a  very 
considerable  change  in  the  appearance  and  mental  traits  of 
the  Turks.  In  the  early  centuries  of  conquest  the  Turks 
frequently  took  wives  from  among  the  Christian  population, 
and  for  many  years  official  and  wealthy  Turks  have  been 
accustomed  to  buy  as  wives  beautiful  girls  from  the  Cir- 
cassians. The  result  is  that  many  Turks,  especially  of 
the  well-to-do  class,  are  handsome  men  with  European  fea- 
tures. 

Of  the  Turks  in  general  many  good  things  may  be  said,  but, 
also,  with  the  good  there  is  a  lamentable  mixture  of  the  bad. 
From  their  religion  they  have  learned  to  abstain  from  intoxi- 
cating drinks,  but  through  their  intercourse  with  Europeans 


16  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

many  Turks,  especially  those  of  the  official  and  military 
classes,  have  become  accustomed  to  the  use  of  every  kind  of 
alcoholic  liquor.  From  the  religious  requirement  of  ablution 
they  have  learned  to  keep  their  bodies  clean,  but  slight  atten- 
tion is  given  to  purity  of  thought,  word  and  act.  They  have 
learned  politeness  of  manners,  but  they  lack  frankness  and 
sincerity  and  a  regard  for  the  truth.  From  their  religion 
they  have  learned  the  equality  an(l  brotherhood  of  all  Moham- 
medans, but  this  brotherhood  does  not  extend  to  any  outside 
the  pale  of  Islam.  They  have  special  words  of  salutation  for 
fellow-believers,  but  they  never  use  these  words  in  addressing 
those  whom  they  contemn  as  ghiaours  or  infidels.  They  are 
taught  to  pray,  but  their  prayer  consists,  with  many  genu- 
flections, of  a  few  Arabic  verses  quoted  from  the  Koran, 
committed  to  memory  and  recited  without  thought  or  feeling, 
often,  indeed,  without  an  understanding  of  the  words  uttered. 
Hence  in  the  Turkish  phrase  they  are  said,  not  to  offer  or  say 
prayer,  but  to  "perform"  prayer.  They  are  taught  to  fast 
with  entire  abstinence  from  food  and  drink  from  sunrise  to 
sunset  during  a  whole  lunar  month,  but  the  fasting  implies 
no  recognition  of  sin  or  of  repentance,  and  while  they  fast 
by  day  they  feast  by  night.  They  are  taught  to  give  alms, 
but  the  motive  for  alms-giving,  as  for  every  religious  act,  is 
the  acquisition  of  merit.  They  are  taught  to  be  contented 
with  their  lot,  but  this  fatalistic  contentment  leads  to  inatten- 
tion to  business  and  a  lack  of  thrift. 

Ignorant  of  the  word  and  will  of  God,  the  Turks  fail  to 
distinguish  between  right  and  wrong,  and  have  no  proper 
conception  of  sin.  As  a  natural  consequence,  lack  of  moral 
principle  is  the  greatest  defect  of  the  Turkish  character. 
Lacking  moral  principle,  they  lack  confidence  in  one  another. 
Bound  together  by  a  religious  bond,  they  obey  their  spiritual 
leaders,  but  they  seldom  combine  among  themselves  either 
for  business  or  for  public  enterprise.  Hence  the  great  com- 
mercial and  banking  business  of  Constantinople,  the  trolley 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        17 

cars,  the  electric  lighting,  the  telephone,  the  water  works,  and 
the  tunnel  between  Galata  and  Pera,  all  these  and  other  public 
utilities  have  been  in  the  hands,  not  of  the  Turks,  but  of 
native  Christians  or  foreigners.  In  fact,  the  lack  of  honest, 
unselfish,  trustworthy  and  truly  patriotic  men  is  the  greatest 
misfortune  of  Turkey.  Turkish  children  are  not  taught  to 
be  truthful  and  pure,  and  in  after  life  they  seldom  change 
for  the  better. 

Education  is  the  crying  need  of  Turkey,  and  without  educa- 
tion there  is  no  hope  for  the  Turkish  race.  Education,  how- 
ever, must  mean  not  only  education  of  the  mind  but  also  of 
the  conscience.  The  recognition  of  God,  not  the  God  of 
Mohammed,  but  the  God  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  obedience  to 
him — this  is  the  supreme  demand  of  the  hour.  Turkish  boys 
and  girls  are  attractive  and  clever;  let  them  be  thoroughly 
trained  intellectually,  morally  and  spiritually,  and  the  boys 
when  they  become  men  will  be  honest  and  trustworthy,  able 
to  guide  the  affairs  of  state,  and  the  girls  when  they  become 
wives  and  mothers  will  be  able  to  train  their  children,  both 
boys  and  girls,  so  as  to  gladden  their  homes  and  bless  their 
country.  It  will  take  time  to  educate  the  mothers,  but  there 
is  no  other  way  to  produce  such  men  and  women  as  the  state 
requires.  Many  intelligent  Turks  now  recognize  the  absolute 
need  of  female  education,  and  are  trying  to  establish  high 
schools  for  Turkish  girls.  The  government  also  recognizes 
the  same  need,  and,  being  unable  to  find  educated  Turkish 
women  to  manage  girls'  schools,  the  government  has  sent 
young  Turkish  women  at  its  own  expense  to  the  American 
College  for  Girls  at  Constantinople,  that  these  young  women 
after  receiving  an  education  in  the  American  College  may 
become  principals  of  Turkish  schools  for  girls.  We  are  happy 
to  add  that  since  the  Young  Turkey  revolution  of  1908  Mo- 
hammedan children,  boys  and  girls,  have  been  allowed  to 
attend  Christian  schools,  and  in  the  American  high  schools 
and  colleges  found  in  Asia  Minor,  Syria  and  Egypt  for  some 


18  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

time  there  have  been  enrolled  as  many  as  a  thousand  Mo- 
hammedan pupils  each  year. 

THE  GREEKS 

Before  the  recent  Balkan  war  the  Greeks  in  Asia  Minor, 
in  the  Balkan  peninsula  and  in  the  JEgean  Islands  are  sup- 
posed to  have  numbered  over  3,000,000.  From  the  time 
of  the  Turkish  conquest  they  were  subjected  to  many  and 
grievous  disabilities.  In  many  parts  of  the  interior  the 
Greeks  and  other  subject  peoples  were  forbidden  to  speak 
in  their  native  tongue  and  were  obliged  to  use  Turkish,  they 
had  no  equality  of  right  in  Turkish  courts,  their  sons  under 
the  name  of  Janissaries  were  forced  to  serve  as  soldiers  and 
to  fight  the  battles  of  the  Turks,  and  many  of  their  daughters 
were  compelled  to  enter  Turkish  harems.  Many  Greeks, 
especially  men  of  capacity,  in  order  to  secure  power  and 
wealth  professed  themselves  Mohammedans  and  entered  the 
Turkish  service ;  indeed  not  a  few  of  such  men  became  high 
officials  and  were  invested  with  great  authority. 

It  is  surprising  that  in  spite  of  a  large  intermixture  of 
blood  the  Greeks  have  kept  their  racial  features  and  their 
national  characteristics  to  so  large  an  extent.  They  are  still 
a  forceful,  industrious  and  intelligent  race.  They  are  enter- 
prising merchants,  hard-working  farmers,  good  artisans  and 
bold  sailors.  During  the  long  period  of  their  subjection  they 
have  taken  on  some  of  the  defects  of  a  conquered  people,  but 
at  the  same  time  they  are  intensely  patriotic.  For  years 
they  have  produced  few,  if  any,  great  men,  and  naturally  they 
have  prided  themselves  on  the  glories  of  their  ancient  history. 
They  have  clung  tenaciously  to  their  ancient  church,  and  but 
for  the  church  they  would  long  since  have  been  overwhelmed 
by  the  Mohammedan  deluge.  Owing,  as  they  do,  so  much  to 
their  Christian  name  and  church  organization,  it  is  sad  indeed 
that  they  still  hold  to  many  mediaeval  errors,  still  trust  to 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        19 

the  sacraments  for  salvation,  still  adore  their  images  (icons), 
still  pray  to  the  saints,  and  generally  are  proud  and  self- 
sufficient.  They  accept  the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God,  but 
where  they  have  the  power,  as  in  the  kingdom  of  Greece,  they 
will  not  allow  the  ancient  Greek  Scriptures  to  be  translated 
into  the  modern  Greek  tongue,  nor  will  they  allow  the  circu- 
lation of  the  modern  Greek  Scriptures  published  by  the  Bible 
Societies.  Lacking  a  spiritual  experience  they  do  not  come 
directly  to  Christ  for  salvation,  but  rely  on  the  offices  and 
prayers  of  their  priests.  At  the  same  time,  many  Greek  lay- 
men and  not  a  few  of  the  clergy  have  come  to  understand 
evangelical  truth,  and  no  longer  trust  to  priestly  functions 
for  salvation.  Even  among  the  Greeks  a  cry  for  reform  is 
heard. 

THE  ARMENIANS 

The  Armenians  are  an  ancient  people  of  the  Aryan  race. 
They  claim  descent  from  Haig,  son  of  Togarmah  and  great 
grandson  of  Noah  (Gen.  10:2-3).  The  word  Armenia  (the 
Hebrew  is  Ararat)  used  in  2  Kings  19  :37  and  Isaiah  37  :38, 
designates  the  country  of  the  Armenians,  and  is  thought  to 
have  been  derived  from  Aram,  the  seventh  king  of  the  Haig 
dynasty,  contemporary  with  Isaac  and  Jacob.  The  Ar- 
menians were  a  warlike  race,  often  in  conflict  with  the 
Assyrians  and  other  nations,  and  maintained  a  kingdom  for 
1,800  years.  Their  king  Dikran  (Tigranes  I)  is  said  to 
have  assisted  Cyrus  in  the  capture  of  Babylon,  538  B.  C. 
The  Armenians  were  defeated  by  Alexander  the  Great  323 
B.  C.,  and  the  Haig  dynasty  came  to  an  end.  A  second 
Dikran  (Tigranes  II)  restored  the  Armenian  kingdom  about 
90  B.  C.  In  30  B.  C.  Armenia  came  under  the  rule  of  the 
Romans. 

At  various  times  during  the  Christian  era  the  Armenians 
recovered  power,  and  under  Dertad  II  (Tiridates)  about  300 
A.  D.  through  the  preaching  of  Gregory  the  Illuminator 


20  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

(Krikor  Lousavorich)  they  embraced  Christianity.  They 
suffered  extremely  from  the  Parthians,  Romans,  Saracens, 
Turks  and  Mongols,  and  yet  in  the  mountains  of  Cilicia  (Cen- 
tral Turkey)  a  considerable  number  of  the  Armenians  main- 
tained their  independence  until  1393,  when  their  last  king, 
Leon  VI,  died  in  exile  in  Paris.  Owing  to  the  oppressive 
rule  of  the  Turks  many  Armenians  have  migrated  to  Eussia 
and  Persia,  others  are  found  in  all  parts  of  Asia  Minor  and 
in  adjoining  lands,  and  in  recent  years  some  80,000  have 
migrated  to  America.  In  view  of  all  their  sufferings  from 
oppression,  massacre  and  war,  it  is  a  wonder  that  the  Ar- 
menians have  not  become  extinct;  until  recently,  however, 
they  numbered  some  3,000,000.  Of  these  1,500,000  were 
found  in  Turkey,  1,200,000  in  Russia,  150,000  in  Persia,  and 
others  in  Egypt,  Europe,  and  America.  Their  history  proves 
that  they  are  a  stanch  and  virile  race,  home-loving,  industri- 
ous and  intelligent. 

During  six  hundred  years  of  Turkish  oppression  they  have 
shown  a  wonderful  power  of  recovery  from  disaster  and 
massacre,  and  as  farmers,  artisans  and  traders  have  always 
forged  ahead.  They  have  formed  an  important  part  of  the 
body  politic  in  Turkey,  and  their  unequal  and  unjust  treat- 
ment by  the  Turks  has  been  a  stupid  blunder  and  an  unspeak- 
able crime.  In  all  the  sad  and  bitter  experiences  of  the  past 
centuries  the  Armenians  have  been  held  together  and  saved 
from  extinction  by  their  loyalty  to  the  church,  and  rather 
than  deny  Christ  multitudes  have  suffered  martyrdom.  In 
the  early  part  of  the  fifth  century  a  learned  Armenian,  named 
Mesrob,  invented  the  Armenian  alphabet,  and  subsequently 
he  and  two  companions  made  an  excellent  translation  of  the 
Bible  into  Armenian.  The  sad  thing  about  the  Armenians 
is  that  in  all  their  history  they  have  suffered  loss  from  in- 
ability to  harmonize  their  views  and  pull  together.  May  God 
teach  them  wisdom  at  the  present  time,  and  make  them  the 


ARMENIA'S   GRAND    OLD   MAN 
MUGERDITCH   KHRIMIAN,    "HAIOTZ    HAIRIG" 
The  late  Catholicos,  head  of  the  Gregorian  Church. 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        21 

means  of  great  blessing  to  Turkey  and  to  the  other  lands 
where  they  are  scattered. 

Further  information  respecting  the  Armenians  is  given  in 
Chapter  II,  entitled  ' '  The  Armenian  Question. ' ' 

THE  JEWS 

In  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  Jews  in 
Palestine  were  few  in  number  and  in  a  pitiable  condition. 
Tolerated  by  the  Moslems  but  not  esteemed,  despised  by  the 
Christians,  without  landed  property  or  lucrative  business, 
they  were  strangers  in  their  fatherland  and  miserably  poor. 
It  was  natural  that  the  Christians  of  America  should  pity 
the  Jews,  and  it  was  fitting  that  the  officers  of  the  American 
Board,  in  sending  missionaries  to  Turkey  in  1819,  should 
think,  first  of  all,  of  establishing  a  mission  in  Jerusalem. 
Owing  to  the  hardness  of  heart  of  the  Jews  and  the  greater 
hopefulness  of  work  in  other  fields,  the  purpose  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem  was 
never  realized.  It  is  pleasant  to  record,  however,  that  other 
bodies  of  Christians  have  carried  on  missionary  work  for  the 
Jews  of  Palestine. 

When  the  Jews  were  expelled  from  Spain  in  1492  many 
thousands  migrated  to  Salonica,  Constantinople  and  Smyrna. 
Their  descendants  are,  for  the  most  part,  poor,  wretched,  and 
spiritually  blind,  but  some  from  among  them  have  become 
eminent  as  merchants,  bankers  and  professional  men.  The 
colony  in  Salonica  has  flourished  more  than  any  other  Jews 
in  Turkey.  Strange  to  say,  several  thousands  of  these  Jews, 
from  choice  or  compulsion,  early  professed  themselves  Mo- 
hammedans, and  their  descendants,  to  the  number  of  5,000, 
are  such  today.  When  in  1832  Rev.  William  G.  Schauf- 
fler  came  to  Constantinople  as  a  missionary,  he  was  in- 
structed to  devote  himself  to  work  for  the  Jews.  He  la- 


22  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

bored  indefatigably  for  years  to  prepare  a  revised  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible  in  Spanish,  written  with  Hebrew  letters,  and 
in  1842  saw  the  completion  of  the  first  edition  in  Vienna.  In 

1850  Messrs.  Dodd,  Maynard  and  Parsons  and  their  wives 
were  sent  as  missionaries  to  the  Jews  in  Salonica,  and  in 

1851  Mr.   and  Mrs.   Morgan  were   added  to  their  number. 
Disease  and  death,  however,  soon  scattered  them,  and  in  1855 
the  mission  of  the  Jews  was  passed  over  to  the  Free  Church 
of  Scotland,  which  has  carried  on  work  for  the  Jews  in 
Salonica,  Constantinople  and  Smyrna,  chiefly  by  means  of 
schools  and  publications  and  dispensaries,  and  Avith  no  little 
success.     In   1856   Dr.    Schauffler,    after   23   years   of   labor 
for  the  Jews,  accepted  an  invitation  to  work  the  remainder 
of  his  life  for  the  Moslems.     At  the  present  time  the  total 
number  of  Jews  in  the  Balkan  peninsula,  in  Asia  Minor,  and 
in  Palestine  is  thought  to  be  not  more  than  500,000. 

THE  BULGARIANS 

In  the  early  part  of  the  Christian  era  that  part  of  the 
Balkan  peninsula  now  called  Bulgaria  was  overrun  by  Goths, 
Huns,  and  Slavs.  In  the  seventh  century  a  new  people  called 
the  Bulgari,  thought  by  ethnologists  to  be  of  Finnish  origin, 
crossed  the  Danube  and  occupied  the  land.  They  conquered 
the  Slavs,  but  in  the  course  of  two  centuries  became  one  with 
them,  adopting  the  Slavic  language  and  customs,  but  giving 
their  own  name  to  the  mixed  race  and  to  the  country.  In 
the  ninth  century  under  King  Krum,  in  the  tenth  under 
King  Simeon,  in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  under 
John  Asen  I,  called  czar,  and  John  Asen  II,  the  Bulgarian 
kingdom  embraced  a  large  part  of  the  Balkan  peninsula, 
and  the  Bulgarians,  often  in  conflict  with  the  armies  of  the 
Greek  Empire,  thrice  attempted  the  capture  of  Constanti- 
nople. The  Greek  emperor  Basil  II  (976-1025)  called  the 
" Bulgarian  slayer,"  fought  against  the  Bulgarians  for 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        23 

22  years  and  desolated  their  country.  The  memory  of  his 
cruelty,  especially  to  several  thousand  prisoners  (1014) 
whose  eyes  he  caused  to  be  put  out,  has  rankled  in  the  hearts 
of  Bulgarians  for  centuries.  King  Boris  I  decided  to  adopt 
the  Christian  religion  in  864,  and  for  more  than  a  thousand 
years  Christianity  has  exerted  a  powerful  influence  on  the 
Bulgarians.  The  brothers  Cyril  and  Methodius,  sons  of  a 
high  military  official  in  Salonica,  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
ninth  century  gave  to  the  Bulgarians  the  Cyrillic  alphabet 
and  a  liturgy,  and  translated  the  Bible  into  Slavic. 

The  reign  of  King  Simeon  (893-927)  was  distinguished 
not  only  for  material  progress  but  also  for  literary  activity. 
John  Asen  II  (died  1244)  founded  the  national  Bulgarian 
church  and  gave  religious  liberty  to  all.  After  the  great 
victory  of  the  Turks  on  the  plain  of  Kossovo  in  1389  the  Bul- 
garians lost  their  independence,  and  for  more  than  500 
years  were  quiet  and  submissive  under  the  Turkish  domi- 
nation. After  the  capture  of  Constantinople  by  the  Turks 
in  1453  the  Bulgarians  were  subjected  in  all  religious 
matters  to  the  Greek  patriarchate,  and  the  ecclesiastical  rule 
of  the  Greek  clergy  was  worse  than  the  civil  rule  of  the 
Turks.  During  this  period  of  darkness  and  oppression  no 
sign  of  progress  appeared,  and  the  Bulgarian  peasants,  shut 
up  to  their  fields  and  flocks  and  often  made  to  toil  as  serfs, 
simply  stagnated  both  intellectually  and  spiritually. 

In  the  nineteenth  century  light  began  to  dawn.  The  first 
Bulgarian  school  was  opened  by  a  Bulgarian  in  Gabrovo  in 
1835.  Other  schools  followed,  the  Turks  not  interfering. 
The  first  object  of  the  Bulgarian  patriots  was  to  get  rid  of 
the  intolerable  rule  of  the  Greek  patriarch  and  the  Greek 
bishops,  and,  after  22  years  of  controversy  with  the  Greek 
patriarchate,  in  1870  the  independence  of  the  Bulgarian  na- 
tional church  was  recognized  by  the  Turks,  and  a  Bulgarian 
exarch  was  appointed  to  administer  the  ecclesiastical  affairs 
of  those  Bulgarians  who  were  still  under  the  Turkish  rule. 


24  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

As  the  result  of  the  Eusso-Turkish  war,  in  1878  the  Bul- 
garian principality  was  constituted,  and  in  1885  the  autono- 
mous province  of  Eastern  Roumelia  was  added  to  Bulgaria. 
Finally,  in  1912  Bulgaria  was  recognized  as  an  independent 
kingdom  under  King  Ferdinand.  Since  the  Bulgarians  se- 
cured self-government  in  1878  they  have  made  remarkable 
progress.  In  the  Balkan  war  of  1912-13  the  Bulgarians  won 
brilliant  victories,  and  had  the  Balkan  States  and  Greece 
divided  the  conquered  territory  by  compromise  and  mutual 
agreement,  their  united  power  would  have  commanded  the 
respect  of  Europe  and  their  united  voice  would  have  been 
decisive  in  the  settlement  of  questions  touching  the  Balkan 
peninsula.  Let  us  hope  that  a  federation  for  self-defence 
may  still  be  effected  between  the  Balkan  States  and  Greece. 

The  Balkan  peninsula,  like  Asia  Minor,  is  a  beautiful  land 
with  a  temperate  climate,  great  natural  resources,  wooded 
mountains  and  fertile  plains,  broad  rivers  and  rich  valleys, 
where  flocks  and  herds  find  abundant  pasture,  and  where  all 
cereals  and  fruits  and  vegetables  grow  in  abundance.  Alas, 
the  peoples  in  these  fair  lands,  owing  to  racial  jealousies  and 
strifes,  to  century-long  conflicts  between  Slavs  and  Greeks, 
and,  finally,  to  an  incapable,  corrupt  and  fanatical  Turkish 
domination,  have  remained  in  ignorance,  poverty  and  wretch- 
edness. In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the  lands  in  Asia, 
Africa,  and  Europe  which  Mohammedan  Arabs  and  Turks, 
with  the  aid  of  many  renegade  Christians,  conquered,  were 
among  the  fairest  portions  of  the  earth,  but  wherever  Arabs 
and  Turks  have  held  rule,  by  reason  of  their  arrogant  claims, 
mental  stagnation,  unjust  discrimination  against  Christians, 
and  cruelty,  they  have  hindered  the  material,  mental,  and 
moral  growth  of  their  subjects  and  have  condemned  their 
empire  to  weakness  and  dismemberment. 

The  American  Board  began  work  among  the  Bulgarians 
in  1858,  while  the  land  was  still  under  the  rule  of  the  Turks. 
If  at  that  time  the  hierarchy  of  the  national  church  had  had 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        25 

the  power,  probably  they  would  not  have  permitted  evangeli- 
cal teaching,  since  it  conflicts  with  the  sacramentarian  and 
sacerdotal  system  of  Ihe  Oriental  churches  and  so  weakens 
the  power  of  the  hierarchy.  Now,  however,  the  missionaries 
have  won  the  day.  By  the  influence  of  Robert  College  at 
Constantinople,  which  during  the  past  50  years  has  given 
to  the  Bulgarian  government  many  of  its  highest  officials; 
by  the  influence  of  the  modern  Bulgarian  Bible,  of  missionary 
books  and  schools,  and  of  the  paper  called  Zornitsa;  by  the  in- 
fluence of  26  evangelical  Bulgarian  churches,  and  the  pa- 
triotism of  the  Protestant  Bulgarian  soldiers;  and  by  the 
charitable  labors  of  the  missionaries,  the  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  the  Bulgarian  people  have  been  won,  and  now  neither 
the  Bulgarian  people  nor  the  government  would  turn  out 
the  missionaries.  Wherever  the  Bulgarian  government  rules 
there  is  a  free  and  open  door  for  Christian  work. 

THE  ALBANIANS 

The  Albanians  are  an  Aryan  race,  first  known  as  Pelas- 
gians,  but  called  Illyrians  by  the  Romans.  With  25,000  Al- 
banian soldiers  Alexander  the  Great  conquered  Asia.  Their 
country  lies  along  the  shore  of  the  Adriatic  Sea,  with  Monte- 
negro on  the  north,  Greece  on  the  south  and  Macedonia  on 
the  east.  It  is  a  very  mountainous  country,  divided  in  the 
center  by  the  river  Skumbi,  which  empties  into  the  Adriatic. 
The  people  north  of  this  river  are  known  as  Ghegs  though 
they  call  themselves  Skipetars  (rock-dwellers),  and  those 
south  of  the  river  are  known  as  Tosks.  From  the  earliest 
times  they  have  been  divided  into  clans,  each  loyal  to  its 
chief.  They  resent  any  injury  done  to  any  member  of  the 
clan,  and  blood  feuds  (vendetta)  are  common.  Like  the 
Highlanders  of  Scotland  they  wear  a  kilt  and  an  embroidered 
jacket.  They  are  a  handsome  race,  independent  and  brave, 
and  the  men  always  go  armed.  They  greatly  love  their  moun- 


26  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

tains  and  are  intensely  patriotic.  Their  women  do  much 
outdoor  work,  but  are  treated  with^  respect.  With  some 
variety  of  dialect,  their  language  is  one,  and  their  customs 
are  one. 

For  2,000  years  they  have  been  under  Greek,  Eoman, 
Slavic,  and  Turkish  rule.  Since  the  defeat  and  death 
of  their  great  hero,  Iskender  Bey,  in  1467,  their  country  has 
been  overrun  by  Turkish  armies,  but  the  Turks  have  never 
really  subdued  them,  and  the  tribes  have  often  refused  to 
pay  taxes.  After  the  Turkish  invasion  of  their  country  in 
the  fifteenth  century  many  Albanian  chiefs  professed  them- 
selves Mohammedans  in  order  to  hold  their  lands  and  to 
confirm  their  power,  and  many  of  the  tribesmen,  sometimes 
whole  clans,  followed  the  example  of  their  chiefs.  Yet  the 
Albanians  never  became  good  Mohammedans;  they  have  not 
been  scrupulous  in  saying  their  prayers  or  in  the  observance 
of  their  fasts  and  feasts,  and  have  not  followed  the  polyga- 
mous habits  of  the  Turks.  Indeed,  it  is  said  that  some 
Mohammedan  Albanians  have  reared  their  sons  as  Moham- 
medans and  their  daughters  as  Christians.  The  Albanians 
are  supposed  to  number  about  a  million  and  a  half,  of  whom 
two-thirds  are  Mohammedans,  and  of  the  remainder  300,000 
belong  to  the  Greek  Catholic,  and  250,000  to  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic, church.  Some  35,000  Albanians  have  migrated  to  Amer- 
ica. 

The  Turks  have  given  high  civil  and  military  office  to  many 
Albanians,  and  the  tyrant  Sultan  Hamid  enrolled  5,000 
Albanians  as  his  bodyguard.  For  centuries,  however,  the 
Turks  have  done  nothing  to  open  up  Albania  by  making 
roads,  nothing  to  encourage  agriculture  or  to  promote  edu- 
cation. No  wonder  then  that  the  Albanians  are  miserably 
poor,  and  that  some  90  per  cent  of  the  people  are  illiterate. 
After  the  Balkan  war  (1912-13)  nearly  half  of  Albania  was 
occupied  by  the  Greeks,  the  Servians  and  the  Montenegrins, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  intervention  of  the  European 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        27 

Powers,  all  their  lands  would  have  been  seized  by  the  hostile 
states  surrounding  them.  As  an  independent  Aryan  people, 
neither  Slav  nor  Greek,  the  Great  Powers  determined  to 
recognize  the  Albanians  as  an  independent  state.  They  ap- 
pointed a  commission  to  organize  the  government  and  recog- 
nized Prince  William  of  Wied  as  their  ruler.  This  prince, 
however,  did  not  know  the  Albanian  language  or  the  people ; 
was  not  brought  in  touch  with  the  chief  men  of  the  different 
clans ;  had  no  sufficient  support  for  the  maintenance  of  his  dig- 
nity and  authority,  and,  worst  of  all,  was  deceived  by  the  few 
Albanians  on  whom  he  relied.  Under  such  circumstances 
nothing  but  failure  could  have  been  expected.  Since  the 
resignation  and  withdrawal  of  Prince  "William,  the  land  has 
been  given  over  to  division  and  strife,  and  the  organization 
of  a  stable  government  cannot  be  expected  until  peace  shall 
have  returned  to  Europe. 

Some  20  years  ago  two  Albanian  young  women  named 
Kyrias,  educated  in  the  Girls'  Boarding  School  at  Monastir 
and  at  the  American  College  for  Girls  at  Constantinople, 
opened  a  school  for  girls  at  Kortcha  in  southern  Albania,  and 
secured  the  favor  and  support  of  many  Albanians.  When, 
however,  the  Greeks  in  1914  seized  Kortcha  and  drove  away 
the  Albanians,  the  school  was  closed.  The  two  missionaries 
of  the  American  Board,  Mr.  Erickson  and  Mr.  Kennedy,  and 
their  families,  were  also  obliged  to  leave  Albania.  The  mis- 
sionaries are  assured  that  many  Albanians  will  gladly  welcome 
their  return,  and  they  wait  for  the  return  of  peace  and  the 
establishment  of  a  stable  government,  that  with  the  assistance 
of  able  helpers  they  may  resume  their  work  and  greatly 
enlarge  it  on  educational  and  medical  lines. 

THE  SYRIANS 

Syria,  the  land  of  divine  revelations  to  patriarchs  and 
prophets,  the  land  wherein  Jehovah  instructed  and  disciplined 


28  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

the  Hebrew  people  for  more  than  a  thousand  years,  the 
land  hallowed  by  the  birth,  the  life,  and  the  death  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ — this  land  challenges  our  interest  by  the 
supreme  importance  of  the  marvellous  events  which  trans- 
pired therein  and  by  its  present  material  wretchedness  and 
spiritual  destitution.  Lying  between  the  Mediterranean  Sea 
and  the  Arabian  Desert,  with  the  Euphrates  on  its  north- 
eastern and  the  Nile  on  the  southwestern  border,  for  long 
years  it  was  the  highway  and  the  battle  ground  of  the  ancient 
nations.  It  was  under  the  dominion,  in  turn,  of  Assyrians, 
Babylonians,  Persians,  Greeks,  and  Romans,  and  during  the 
centuries  of  the  Christian  era  has  been  under  the  rule  first  of 
the  Roman  and  Greek,  and  then  of  the  Saracenic  and  the 
Turkish  empires.  Its  marked  topographical  features  remain 
substantially  unchanged.  The  mountains  of  the  Lebanon  on 
the  north,  the  peninsula  of  Sinai  on  the  south,  the  maritime 
plain  on  the  west,  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  and  the  Dead 
Sea  on  the  east,  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon  in  the  center, 
and  the  mountains  round  about  Jerusalem  remain  as  in  ages 
past.  Invasions,  wars,  massacres  and  oppressions  have  con- 
demned the  land  to  a  serious  loss  of  population  and  the  soil 
to  barrenness. 

The  missionary  work  in  Syria  was  for  50  years  under 
the  care  of  the  American  Board.  Levi  Parsons  and  Pliny 
Fisk  were  commissioned  by  the  Board  to  establish  a  station 
at  Jerusalem,  and  this  they  attempted  to  do,  but  they  were 
able  to  remain  in  Jerusalem  only  a  few  months.  They  decided 
that  Beirut  was  the  most  suitable  place  for  the  chief  station 
of  the  Syrian  mission,  and  there  in  October,  1825,  after  a 
service  of  only  six  years,  Fisk  died.  Parsons  had  died  at 
Alexandria,  Egypt,  in  February,  1822.  These  pioneers  were 
eminently  fitted  for  the  service  to  which  they  were  sent,  and 
their  untimely  death  was  greatly  lamented.  Not  a  few  of 
their  distinguished  successors — Eli  Smith  and  Cornelius  Van 
Dyck,  to  whom  and  to  their  able  native  assistants  the  world 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        29 

owes  the  model  translation  of  the  Bible  into  Arabic;  William 
M.  Thomson,  author  of  "The  Land  and  the  Book";  Daniel 
Bliss,  founder  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College;  Henry  H. 
Jessup,  the  distinguished  preacher  in  Arabic,  and  George  E. 
Post,  the  eminent  professor  of  medicine — these  and  other  able 
men  were  sent  to  the  Syrian  mission  by  the  American  Board. 
In  1870  by  reason  of  the  union  of  the  Old  and  New  School 
Presbyterians  and  the  formation  of  their  own  Missionary 
Board,  the  Presbyterians  withdrew  from  the  support  of  the 
American  Board,  and,  as  was  meet,  the  missions  to  Syria  and 
Persia  were  transferred  to  the  Presbyterians. 

THE  EGYPTIANS 

Egypt  is  a  fan  with  a  handle  600  miles  long,  reaching  south 
from  Cairo  to  Wady  Haifa,  and  with  a  body  whose  center 
extends  north  120  miles  from  Cairo  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 
and  whose  outer  edge  stretches  along  the  shore  180  miles 
from  Palestine  to  Tripoli.  The  handle  is  the  valley  of  the 
bountiful  Nile,  averaging  12  miles  in  breadth,  with  deserts 
on  the  east  and  west,  and  the  body  of  the  fan  is  the  Delta. 
This  is  Egypt,  with  6,000  years  of  wonderful  history.  It  is 
an  interesting  fact,  specially  pertinent  to  evolutionists,  that 
while  our  forbears  in  Europe  were  cave-dwellers,  clad  in  skins 
and  subsisting  on  raw  flesh,  the  Egyptians  were  a  civilized 
nation,  whose  works  of  architecture,  sculpture,  painting,  and 
literature  are  the  wonder  and  study  of  the  world.  Egypt, 
for  1300  years  under  the  oppression  of  Mohammedan  Arabs, 
Mamelukes  and  Turks,  has  since  1882,  under  English  rule, 
enjoyed  peace,  justice,  and  prosperity  previously  unknown. 

Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  the  mission  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church  of  America,  inaugurated  in  1854,  and  blessed 
by  the  labors  of  such  men  as  Lansing,  Harvey,  Watson,  Hogg, 
and  Alexander,  has  had  great  success  both  in  Cairo,  in  the 
Delta  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  It  is  a  matter  of  legiti- 


30  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

mate  pride  and  thanksgiving  that  in  the  various  lands  of  the 
Ottoman  Empire  the  missionary  work  has  been  carried  on 
very  largely  by  Americans,  and  that  the  missionaries  of  the 
various  societies  have  labored  in  their  respective  fields  with 
the  utmost  harmony,  all  of  them  praying  and  working  for 
the  revival  of  pure  Christianity  and  the  enlightenment  of 
the  Moslem  peoples. 

THE  ARABS 

Of  the  various  peoples  within  the  limits  of  the  Turkish  Em- 
pire the  Arabs,  numbering  between  5,000,000  and  8,000,000, 
are  undoubtedly  the  oldest.  Claiming  descent  from  Ishmael, 
from  time  immemorial  they  have  inhabited  a  country,  which, 
with  no  rivers,  has  in  the  center  vast  tablelands  capable  of 
only  a  scant  cultivation,  is  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  des- 
erts almost  impassable,  and  has  coast  ranges  of  mountains, 
in  some  places  several  thousand  feet  high.  In  ancient  times 
the  Arabs  of  the  south  formed  what  is  known  as  the  Himyarite 
kingdom,  whence,  it  is  thought,  the  Queen  of  Sheba  came  to 
visit  Solomon,  and  in  the  north  the  Arabs  built  the  city  of 
Petra,  whose  ruins  are  a  wonder  to-day,  but  at  no  time  have 
the  Arabs  had  a  united  kingdom  or  acknowledged  a  central 
authority.  From  the  earliest  times  they  have  been  divided 
into  numerous  tribes,  each  under  an  independent  sheikh  or 
chief,  leading  for  the  most  part  a  nomadic  life,  free  and  un- 
controllable, with  interminable  quarrels,  robbing  and  being 
robbed.  A  small  portion  of  the  people  have  dwelt  in  towns, 
but  the  real  Arabs  are  the  sons  of  the  desert,  the  Bedouin. 

Turkish  authority  has  been  confined  to  the  western  coast 
lands,  called  the  Hejaz,  including  the  sacred  cities  of  Mecca 
and  Medina;  to  the  province  of  Yemen  further  south,  and 
to  the  province  of  Hassa  in  northeastern  Arabia,  bordering 
on  the  Persian  Gulf.  The  Arabs  have  never  been  friendly  to 
the  Turks,  and  four-fifths  of  Arabia  is  still  under  native 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE        31 

rulers.  After  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  many  Jews  and 
Christians  settled  in  northern  Arabia  and  in  Yemen,  but  on 
account  of  its  inhospitable  climate  and  more  inhospitable  in- 
habitants, Arabia  in  all  ages  has  been  almost  inaccessible  to 
foreigners.  Mohammed  gave  command  that  no  unbeliever 
should  be  allowed  to  defile  by  his  presence  the  sacred  city 
of  Mecca.  Only  seven  Europeans  are  mentioned,  who,  since 
1503,  have  visited  Mecca.  Familiar  with  Arabic  and  in  the 
guise  of  Moslem  pilgrims  they  braved  the  danger  and  were 
fortunate  to  escape  with  their  lives. 

The  greatest  boon  ever  bestowed  on  Arabia  by  Christians 
was  the  Arabic  Bible.  "The  Bible,"  says  Dr.  Zwemer, 
"made  modern  missions  to  Arabia  possible."  Henry  Martyn 
studied  Arabic  in  India,  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  con- 
verted Arab  undertook  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
into  Arabic.  In  1811  he  journeyed  from  India  to  Arabia, 
landing  at  Maskat.  In  his  diary  he  says:  "Arabia  shall 
hide  me  till  I  come  forth  with  an  approved  New  Testament 
in  Arabic."  Sad  to  say,  he  was  not  able  to  carry  out  his 
plan,  but  was  obliged  by  ill  health  to  leave  Arabia  and  under- 
take the  long  overland  journey  to  Constantinople.  He  died 
at  Tokat  in  Asia  Minor,  October  16,  1812.  Ever  since  his 
death,  however,  the  story  of  his  life  has  been  an  inspiration 
to  multitudes. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  by  English  and  Scotch 
Christians  to  open  Bible  depots  at  important  points  along  the 
coast  of  Arabia,  but  without  permanent  success,  save  at  Aden 
which  is  under  English  protection.  The  talented  and  conse- 
crated young  Scotchman,  Keith  Falconer,  in  1886  undertook 
work  for  the  Arabs  at  a  place  not  far  from  Aden,  called 
Sheikh  Othman,  but  died  of  fever  after  only  10  months' 
service.  His  work  was  taken  up  by  others  and  is  still  carried 
on,  and  the  story  of  his  life  has  been  an  incentive  and  a  bene- 
diction to  many.  The  Arabian  mission,  organized  in  1889 
and  now  called  The  American  Reformed  Church  Mission,  has 


32  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

wisely  used  the  medical  agency  for  opening  the  way  for  the 
Gospel.  It  has  established  hospitals  at  Bahrein,  an  island 
under  British  protection  in  the  Persian  Gulf,  at  Kuweit,  at 
Maskat  and  at  Basrah.  The  work  at  the  latter  place  is  sup- 
ported by  the  students  connected  with  the  University  of 
Michigan,  who  in  1914  subscribed  $4,500  for  the  work. 

The  Arabian  mission  is  reaping  the  reward  of  its  patient 
service  in  dissipating  prejudice  and  winning  the  confidence 
both  of  the  Mohammedan  rulers  and  the  people.  It  has  met 
with  grievous  loss  in  the  death  of  both  missionaries  and 
native  assistants,  but  from  1895  to  1912  its  force  increased 
from  four  to  thirty-four  missionaries,  and  from  eight  to  twen- 
ty-seven native  assistants.  In  1913  the  mission  reported  six 
stations  and  four  hospitals,  with  89  pupils  under  instruction, 
of  whom  36  were  Moslems. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   ARMENIAN   QUESTION  AND   THE   YOUNG 
TURKS  * 

THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION 

THE  writer  and  his  wife,  returning  to  Turkey  from  a  third 
furlough,  arrived  at  Constantinople  on  November  5,  1895.  It 
was  at  a  time  of  great  excitement  and  anxiety,  for  news  of 
the  massacre  of  Armenians  was  coming  from  the  provinces 
day  by  day.  Everybody  was  asking,  "Why  do  the  Turks 
rob  and  kill  the  Armenians?"  Alas!  after  the  lapse  of  20 
years  this  inquiry  is  still  heard.  To  people  of  every  race 
and  land  it  seems  inexplicable  that  a  sovereign  state — a  state, 
moreover,  whose  population  is  scarce  and  which  is  in  desperate 
need  of  tax-payers — that  such  a  state  should  deliberately 
instigate  and  command  the  destruction  of  a  very  considerable 
part  of  its  most  enterprising  and  serviceable  people. 

In  reply  it  may  be  said  that  Europe,  not  designedly,  but 
in  fact,  is  largely  responsible  for  the  attacks  on  the  Ar- 
menians. 

During  500  years  the  Armenians  were  quiet  and  submis- 
sive subjects  of  Turkey.  They  suffered  from  abuse,  inequality 
of  rights,  extortion,  and  oppression,  but  by  their  skill  in  the 
industrial  arts  and  by  their  enterprise  in  trade  they  made 
themselves1  useful  to  the  Turks  and  managed  to  live.  Some 

*  In  view  of  the  present  wide  interest  awakened  by  current  events  in  Turkey, 
it  has  been  thought  desirable  to  insert  thus  early  in  the  book  what  concerns 
the  racial  relations  of  Moslems  and  non-Moslems,  particularly  the  Armenians, 
in  that  country,  and  to  present  a  statement  of  the  lamentable  failure  of  the 
present  Turkish  regime  in  treating  justly  their  Christian  fellow-countrymen. 

33 


34  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

of  them  became  architects  for  the  erection  of  Turkish  palaces 
and  mansions,  purveyors  for  .the  army  and  navy,  and  business 
agents  of  high  officials.  Not  a  few  Armenians  were  raised 
to  important  positions  in  the  public  service  and  attained 
influence  and  wealth.  Yet,  like  all  Christian  subjects  of  the 
Turkish  Government,  they  were  always  treated  as  rayahs — 
a  subjugated  people,  with  no  assured  civil  rights,  and  no 
equal  standing  in  courts  of  law,  liable,  on  the  whim  of  the 
Sultan  or  of  some  high  official,  to  be  robbed  or  exiled  or  put 
to  death. 

Hence,  to  relieve  the  hard  and  unequal  condition  of  the 
Christian  subjects  of  Turkey,  the  European  Powers,  especially 
Russia  and  England,  from  the  time  of  the  Greek  revolution 
(1821-1829)  repeatedly  intervened  in  Turkish  affairs,  and 
notably  through  the  Treaty  of  Paris  (1856)  and  the  Treaty 
of  Berlin  (1878)  secured  promises  of  reform.  The  execu- 
tion of  all  reforms,  however,  whether  promised  by  Turkey  or 
stipulated  by  treaty,  was  left  to  the  Turks  themselves,  and 
the  Turks,  well  assured  that  the  European  Powers  were  not 
ready  to  take  united  and  determined  action  to  enforce  the 
execution  of  treaty  stipulations,  ignored  their  promises  and 
lost  the  golden  opportunity  to  win  the  respect  of  Europe 
and  the  cordial  support  of  the  non-Moslem  population. 

Behold  the  rise  of  the  Armenian  question.  The  hopes  and 
expectations  of  the  Christians  of  Turkey,  especially  of  the 
Armenians,  for  the  amelioration  of  whose  condition  the 
Sixty-first  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Berlin  specially  stipulated, 
were  disappointed,  and  their  last  condition  was  worse  than 
the  first.  Clearly  it  would  have  been  better  if  Europe  had 
left  the  Christians  alone  with  the  Turks  rather  than  raise 
their  hopes  and  then  disappoint  them.  Moreover  the  Turks, 
humiliated  and  provoked  by  the  interference  of  Europe,  and 
esteeming  the  Armenians  as  furnishing  the  occasion  of  inter- 
ference, began  to  hate  them  as  never  before. 

Is  it  a  wonder  that  under  such  circumstances  some  young 


THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION  35 

Armenians — a  mere  handful  of  the  Armenian  population — 
after  15  years  of  idle  waiting  (1878-93)  became  restless  and 
desperate  ?  Is  it  a  wonder  that  these  men,  with  the  hope  that 
possibly  they  might  attract  the  attention  and  secure  the  help 
of  Europe,  in  a  few  places  in  Asia  Minor  made  demonstra- 
tions against  Turkish  oppression.  They  were  repeatedly  told 
that  their  demonstrations  would  be  utterly  unwise,  vain  and 
dangerous,  but  outrage  and  disappointed  hopes  sometimes 
make  men  mad. 

Now,  had  the  Turkish  authorities  been  sensible  and  just, 
they  would  have  ferreted  out  the  Armenian  agitators  and  have 
punished  them  according  to  their  deserts,  but  with  this  they 
were  not  content ;  on  the  contrary,  in  a  spirit  of  fierce  retalia- 
tion, they  sought  to  wreak  vengeance  on  the  whole  Armenian 
community  or  nation. 

Such  was  the  case  in  1894  in  the  mountainous  district  of 
Sassoun,  in  eastern  Asia  Minor,  bordering  on  Kourdistan. 
A  few  Armenian  agitators  got  in  among  the  poor  and  ignorant 
villagers  and  incited  them  to  refuse  to  submit  to  Kourdish 
levies.  The  villagers,  when  called  to  account  by  the  tax- 
collectors,  declared  that  they  were  ready  to  pay  taxes,  but 
claimed  that  first  they  should  be  protected  from  the  Kourds, 
who  robbed  them  of  their  flocks  and  herds  and  often  seized 
and  carried  off  their  women  and  girls.  The  government, 
however,  proclaimed  the  whole  Sassoun  district  in  rebellion, 
and  surrounded  the  district  with  thousands  of  Kourds  and 
Turkish  soldiers,  who  in  a  single  month  plundered  and  burned 
27  villages,  and  slew,  with  brutal  outrage  and  cruelty,  some 
15,000  men,  women,  and  children.  The  order  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  troops  was  to  teach  the  Armenians  a  severe 
lesson,  that  is  to  say,  to  kill  a  large  part  of  the  people. 

When  the  reports  of  European  consuls  and  of  a  commission 
of  inquiry  brought  the  facts  of  the  Sassoun  massacre  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  Great  Powers,  the  ambassadors  at  Constanti- 
nople were  instructed  to  draw  up  a  Scheme  of  Reform,  to 


36  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

be  carried  out  in  the  six  provinces  of  eastern  Asia  Minor, 
largely  inhabited  by  Armenians.  After  long  delay  and 
many  revisions,  this  "Scheme,"  on  the  insistence  of  England, 
France,  and  Russia  was  finally  accepted,  and  on  October  17, 
1895,  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid  issued  an  imperial  order  approv- 
ing the  Scheme  and  appointing  a  commission  of  high  officials 
to  superintend  its  execution.  On  signifying  his  acceptance 
of  the  Scheme,  however, "the  Sultan  is  said  to  have  declared 
that  he  would  not  be  responsible  for  the  consequences,  and, 
in  fact,  the  whole  attempt  at  reform  was  an  utter  failure. 
Even  before  the  promulgation  of  the  imperial  order,  namely 
on  October  8,  1895,  the  initial  massacre  occurred  at  Trebizorid, 
where  800  Armenians  were  brutally  killed  and  the  goods  in 
both  their  shops  and  homes  were  carried  off.  From  that 
date  until  the  end  of  the  year  the  wave  of  massacre  swept 
over  the  six  eastern  provinces,  engulfing  the  villages,  towns, 
and  cities  where  Armenians  lived;  innumerable  houses, 
schools,  and  churches  were  burned,  a  vast  amount  of  property 
was  stolen  or  destroyed,  a  great  number  of  women  and  girls 
were  carried  off  by  Turks  and  Kourds,  multitudes  of  people 
were  forced  to  accept  the  Mohammedan  religion,  100,000  Ar- 
menian men  and  boys  were  slain,  and  500,000  Armenian 
women  and  children  were  reduced  to  beggary.  Everywhere 
it  was  understood  by  the  Mohammedan  population  that  they 
were  authorized,  by  orders  from  Constantinople,  to  kill  all 
Armenian  men  and  boys  and  seize  their  property;  in  many 
places  soldiers  and  officers  joined  with  the  mob  and  shared 
the  plunder.  The  massacres  were  perpetrated  in  contempt 
and  defiance  of  Europe;  they  were  an  expression  of  Turkish 
wrath  and  vengeance ;  they  were,  in  short,  an  attempt  to  end 
the  Armenian  question  by  the  destruction  of  the  Armenians. 
Europe  raised  the  hope  of  the  Christian  population  of  Turkey, 
and  Europe  left  them  to  their  fate. 

Even  liberal-minded  and  honored  Turkish  officials  seem  to 
have  justified  this  method  of  settling  the  Armenian  question. 


ORPHANS  LEARNING  TO   BUILD  HOUSES,   VAN 


ARMENIAN    ORPHAN    BOYS    IN    THE    CAUCASUS 

•  ryi-ffo  +1  t        J.U  *  J 


THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION  37 

Mouamer  Effendi,  a  leading  Turk,  a  man  of  ability,  who 
by  popular  vote  was  chosen  mayor  of  Smyrna,  said  to  an 
English  friend:  "It  is  absurd  to  think  that  we  can  govern 
the  Armenians — a  people  so  much  abler  than  we  are." 

Kiitchiik  Sai'd  Pasha,  reputed  a  special  friend  of  the  Eng- 
lish, and  twice  appointed  Grand  Vizier,  is  reported  to  have 
said  in  1896:  "To  dispose  of  the  Armenian  question  we 
must  dispose  of  the  Armenians. ' ' 

The  British  consul,  Mr.  Fitemaurice,  was  a  member  of  a 
commission  sent  to  Ourfa  in  1897,  to  report  on  the  massacres 
committed  there  (December  28-31,  1895).  In  an  interview 
with  the  governor-general  of  Ourfa,  he  inquired,  "Why  do 
you  destroy  the  Armenians?  If  you  don't  like  them,  why 
do  you  not  allow  them  to  leave  the  country?"  The  governor 
is  said  to  have  replied:  "We  need  the  Armenians.  They 
are  our  doctors,  lawyers,  merchants,  and  bankers.  Only  once 
in  a  while  we  must  give  them  a  lesson,  and  teach  them  to  know 
their  place." 

In  short,  so  long  as  the  Armenians  were  obsequious  and 
submissive  and  accepted  their  lot  with  no  thought  of  Euro- 
pean intervention  in  their  behalf,  so  long  the  Turks  showed 
them  no  special  animosity.  But  when  with  the  growth  of 
enlightenment  and  civilization  the  Armenians  showed  su- 
perior ability  and  outstripped  the  Turks  in  all  walks  of 
business  and  professional  life;  when,  especially,  the  Armeni- 
ans attracted  European  attention  and  Europe  began  to  es- 
pouse their  cause  and  to  demand  that  they  be  treated  as  human 
beings,  having  an  equal  right  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness,  then  the  Turks  began  to  look  upon  them  with 
jealousy,  envy  and  hatred;  then  religious  fanaticism  was 
aroused,  and  regarding  them  as  enemies  of  the  Ottoman  state, 
they  plotted  their  destruction. 

Yet  let  it  be  noted  that  history  records  no  spontaneous 
massacre  of  Christians  by  the  Turks,  but  whether  as  regards 
Greeks,  Bulgarians,  or  Armenians,  the  massacre  of  Christians 


38  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

has  always  been  instigated  or  commanded  by  the  superior 
authorities. 

Let  it  also  be  noted  that  in  time  of  massacre  in  not  a  few 
places  influential  Turks,  sometimes  at  the  peril  of  life,  have 
sheltered  and  have  saved  individual  Christians  and  some- 
times even  groups  of  Christians. 

Under  the  circumstances  mentioned,  the  world  cries  out  that 
to  destroy,  with  a  few  agitators,  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
innocent  men,  women,  and  children  is  a  blot  on  the  Turkish 
name  which  can  never  be  effaced. 

"We  had  hoped  that  under  the  constitutional  government  of 
the  Young  Turks  there  would  be  no  more  massacres  of  Chris- 
tians in  Turkey.  Alas !  the  story  of  the  Young  Turks  shows 
that  they  have  outdone  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid  in  ruthless 
cruelty. 

THE  YOUNG  TURKS 

In  the  summer  of  1908  the  city  of  Samokov  in  Bulgaria 
afforded  my  wife  and  myself  a  delightful  retreat  from  the 
heats  of  Constantinople.  While  there  the  report  reached  us 
that,  as  the  result  of  a  revolutionary  movement,  a  constitu- 
tional government  had  been  proclaimed  in  Turkey,  and  on 
our  return  to  the  capital  we  found  abundant  and  gratifying 
evidence  that  such  was  the  fact.  Such  a  change  of  govern- 
ment, utterly  unexpected,  was  a  great  and  glad  surprise. 
The  men  who  brought  about  this  revolution  called  themselves 
Young  Turks.  Who  then  were  the  Young  Turks?  The 
curious  fact  is  that  most  of  the  leaders  in  the  movement  were 
not  Turks  at  all,  but  Mohammedans  whose  ancestors  were 
Christians.  Until  the  recent  war  (1912-13)  there  were  in 
the  Balkan  peninsula  some  2,000,000  Mohammedans,  most 
of  whom  in  origin  were  neither  Turks  nor  Arabs,  but  de- 
scended from  the  early  Christian  nations  inhabiting  the  land. 
After  the  Turkish  invasion,  550  years  ago,  many  Greeks,  Al- 
banians, Bosnians,  Servians,  and  Bulgarians  professed  them- 


THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION  39 

selves  Mohammedans  in  order  to  save  their  lives,  their  honor, 
and  their  property;  and  their  descendants  are  now,  for  the 
most  part,  the  Mohammedans  of  the  Balkan  peninsula.  They 
changed  their  religion,  but  to  the  present  time  have  retained, 
each  nation,  its  mother  tongue,  its  traditions  and  customs; 
hence  they  are  allied,  not  to  Asiatics,  but  to  Europeans. 

Now  for  many  years  the  Turkish  government  has  main- 
tained two  divisions  of  its  army,  numbering  60,000  men,  in 
what  was  called  European  Turkey.  These  troops  were  very 
largely  recruited  from  the  European  Mohammedans,  and  the 
great  body  of  the  officers  came  from  the  same  peoples.  Some 
of  the  officers  received  their  education,  in  part,  in  the  mili- 
tary and  other  schools  of  Europe,  and  became  familiar  with 
one  or  more  of  the  European  languages.  For  many  years 
many  young  officers  were  ashamed  and  aggrieved  on  account 
of  the  unhonored  position  of  their  country,  and  were  embit- 
tered by  the  despotism  of  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid  and  by  the 
corruption  of  his  ministers.  Some  of  the  officers  were  sus- 
pected by  the  Turkish  authorities,  and  in  order  to  escape 
arrest,  imprisonment,  exile,  and,  possibly,  death,  they  fled 
to  Europe.  They  congregated  in  Paris,  Geneva,  and  other 
cities,  formed  secret  committees  and  inaugurated  a  revolution- 
ary propaganda.  For  years  they  carried  on  this  propaganda 
with  infinite  secrecy  and  success,  distributing  their  revolu- 
tionary documents  in  other  divisions  of  the  army  and  among 
the  civil  population,  and  gained  many  adherents. 

Finally,  when  their  plans  were  completed  and  prepara- 
tions made,  on  July  23,  1908,  telegrams  were  sent  from  many 
places  in  European  Turkey  to  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid,  in  the 
palace  of  Yildiz,  Constantinople,  demanding  from  him  the 
proclamation  of  a  constitution,  the  summoning  of  a  parlia- 
ment:, the  dismissal  of  his  corrupt  ministers,  and  other  reforms, 
and  threatening  that,  unless  these  demands  were  immediately 
acceded  to,  they  would  march  upon  Constantinople  with 
60,000  men.  The  Sultan  at  once  called  his  ministers  to  the 


40  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

palace,  and  they  passed  a  very  anxious  night.  The  upshot 
of  their  conference  was  that  not  one  of  the  ministers  was  able 
to  guarantee  the  safety  of  the  Sultan's  life.  Hence  on  the 
morning  of  July  24,  by  command  of  the  Sultan,  telegrams 
were  sent  to  all  divisions  of  the  army  and  to  the  governors 
of  the  provinces,  announcing  that  his  Imperial  Majesty,  Sul- 
tan Abdul  Hamid,  was  graciously  pleased  to  proclaim  a  consti- 
tutional form  of  government.  The  people  were  dazed  and 
bewildered,  not  knowing  what  to  believe,  and  when  reassured 
their  outbursts  of  joy  defied  description.  Turks,  Christians, 
and  Jews  joined  indiscriminately  in  their  joyful  demonstra- 
tions. 

The  Young  Turks  thought  it  best  to  leave  Sultan  Abdul 
Hamid  upon  the  throne,  he  solemnly  swearing  that  he  would 
rule  as  a  constitutional  sovereign,  and  so  he  appeared  to  be 
doing.  At  the  same  time  the  wily  and  perfidious  man  began 
to  prepare  for  a  reaction.  By  means  of  the  chief  eunuch  an.d 
other  servants  of  the  palace,  by  means  of  religious  teachers, 
called  imams,  whom  he  hired,  and  by  the  use  of  unlimited 
sums  of  money,  in  the  course  of  nine  months  Sultan  Abdul 
Hamid  had  deceived  and  seduced  and  suborned  half  the 
garrison  of  Constantinople,  say  12,000  men.  On  the  night 
of  April  13,  1909,  these  mutinous  soldiers  rose  upon  their 
young  officers,  killing  many  of  them  and  imprisoning  others 
in  their  rooms,  marched  into  the  streets,  crossed  the  bridge 
over  the  Golden  Horn  to  Stamboul,  took  possession  of  the 
parliament  house,  killed  several  members  of  the  new  govern- 
ment, and  in  the  course  of  the  day  secured  control  of  the 
city.  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid  thought  that  he  had  carried 
the  day,  but  he  counted  without  his  host.  Within  one  week 
the  Young  Turks  rallied",  and  by  means  of  two  lines  of  rail- 
way brought  from  Thrace  and  Macedonia  and  Albania  some 
45,000  troops,  with  artillery,  ammunition  and  provisions,  to 
the  gates  of  Constantinople.  This  army  took  possession,  first, 
of  a  fortification  called  Chatalja  on  the  line  of  the  Eoumelian 


THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION  41 

railway,  25  miles  from  the  city,  and  day  by  day  captured 
without  much  fighting,  the  outlying  fortifications.  On  Fri- 
day, the  23rd  of  April,  the  commander  of  the  Young  Turkey 
army,  General  Mahmoud  Shevket  Pasha,  received  informa- 
tion that  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid  in  disappointment  and  rage 
had  planned  for  the  following  day  a  general  massacre  of 
Christians  and  of  his  opponents  in  the  capital.  Thereupon 
General  Mahmoud  during  Friday  afternoon  and  night  moved 
his  army  into  the  city  in  two  divisions.  One  division  after 
some  fighting  occupied  the  old  city,  Stamboul.  The  other 
division  swept  around  the  Golden  Horn  and  on  Saturday 
advanced  upon  Pera,  the  European  quarter.  Here  there 
were  very  strong  barracks,  occupied  by  the  mutinous  sol- 
diers, and  severe  fighting  ensued,  with  a  loss  on  both  sides  of 
some  2,000  men.  By  night,  however,  the  Young  Turkey  army 
prevailed,  and  had  possession  of  the  city.  On  Monday  the 
army  surrounded  the  hill  of  Yildiz,  situated  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  from  the  shore  of  the  Bosphorus  and  separated  from 
Pera  by  a  valley.  This  hill,  of  1,000  acres,  was  surrounded  by 
a  high  wall  and  contained  the  palace  of  the  Sultan,  a  palace 
for  his  wives,  and  another  palace  for  the  entertainment  of 
European  sovereigns,  a  porcelain  factory,  a  theater,  stables, 
and  barracks  for  his  bodyguard.  Cannon  were  placed  on 
the  surrounding  heights  so  as  to  command  this  hill,  and  on 
the  morning  of  Tuesday  the  Sultan,  seeing  that  his  game  was 
up,  surrendered.  The  bodyguard  was  marched  out  and  new 
troops  were  sent  in.  That  night  several  young  officers  went 
to  the  palace  of  the  Sultan  and  summoned  him  to  their 
presence.  He  came  in,  pale  as  a  sheet,  trembling  like  a  leaf, 
and  begging  for  his  life.  He  was  told  that  his  life  would 
be  spared,  but  that  for  the  good  of  the  country  he  must  leave 
the  city  that  night.  The  Young  Turks  dealt  mercifully  with 
the  cruel  monarch  and  allowed  him  to  choose,  as  his  com- 
panions in  exile,  eleven  women,  one  child,  two  eunuchs,  and 
five  servants.  These  were  placed  in  carriages,  and  after 


42  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

midnight  were  driven  to  the  railway  station  in  Stamboul,  were 
sent  by  special  train  300  miles  west  to  Salonica,  and  were  con- 
signed to  a  strong  house  prepared  for  them.  Such  was  the 
end  of  a  traitorous  attempt  to  reestablish  the  old  system  of 
absolutism,  and  the  alacrity  and  determination  with  which 
the  Young  Turks  met  and  crushed  the  mutiny,  and  thereby 
saved  Constantinople  itself  from  a  general  massacre,  deserved 
all  praise. 

It  may  be  added  that  on  the  same  day  as  the  mutiny  in 
Constantinople  the  Moslem  population  of  the  city  and 
province  of  Adana,  instigated  from  Constantinople,  rose  upon 
their  Christian  fellow-subjects,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few 
days  robbed  and  murdered  20,000  Armenians,  destroyed  a 
large  number  of  Christian  villages,  churches,  and  schools,  and 
killed  many  religious  teachers,  including  two  American  mis- 
sionaries and  20  Protestant  pastors  and  preachers  and  one 
college  professor.  Had  the  mutiny  in  Constantinople  suc- 
ceeded, the  wave  of  destruction,  as  in  18£5,  would  no  doubt 
have  swept  over  all  Asia  Minor.  By  order  of  the  government 
70  men,  found  guilty  of  complicity  in  the  massacre,  most  of 
whom  were  Turks,  were  hanged  in  Adana.  The  mutiny  and 
the  massacre  were  the  last  stroke  of  the  dying  monster  Sultan 
Abdul  Hamid.  Such  in  brief  is  the  story  of  the  revolution 
of  1908  and  of  the  reaction  of  1909. 

The  significance  of  the  revolution  of  the  Young  Turks  is 
found  in  the  fact  that,  so  far  as  we  know,  it  was  the  first  real 
attempt  among  Mohammedans  to  establish  a  constitutional 
government.  For  1,300  years  every  Mohammedan  ruler  had 
been  an  absolute  and  irresponsible  despot,  the  character  of 
each  reign  being  determined  by  the  special  traits  of  the 
sovereign.  Revolutions  without  number  had  occurred  in 
Mohammedan  countries,  but  in  every  case  the  change  had 
been  from  one  despotism  to  another.  The  Young  Turks  of 
1908,  however,  seemed  to  have  learned  the  true  idea  of  a 
constitutional  government,  with  the  Sultan  as  chief  executive, 


THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION  43 

with  a  responsible  ministry  and  a  parliament,  each  depart- 
ment of  the  government  loyally  supplementing  the  other 
departments,  and  altogether  constituting  a  government  of 
the  people,  for  the  people,  and  by  the  people. 

What  now  has  been  the  issue  of  the  government  so  hope- 
fully begun  ? 

First,  it  is  but  fair  to  say  that  the  Young  Turks  made  a 
good  beginning.  At  the  peril  of  their  lives  they  accomplished 
a  revolution  which  was  almost  bloodless.  In  place  of  the 
cruel  monarch  Hamid,  they  put  upon  the  throne  his  brother, 
Reshid  Effendi,  the  legitimate  heir,  under  the  name  of  Mo- 
hammed the  Fifth,  a  man  now  70  years  old,  without  force  or 
initiative,  but  mild-mannered  and  well-disposed.  They  in- 
augurated a  constitutional  government  in  all  its  forms.  They 
had  command  of  the  army  and  navy,  and  for  at  least  a  few 
years  they  had  the  confidence  and  support  of  5,000,000 
Christians  and  Jews,  who,  after  the  Balkan  war  of  1912-13, 
constituted  nearly  one-third  of  all  the  subjects  of  Turkey  out- 
side of  Arabia.  Moreover  they  had  a  powerful  secret  com- 
mittee, called  the  Committee  of  Union  and  Progress,  which 
formulated  the  policy  and  controlled  all  the  movements  of  the 
Young  Turk  party  both  in  the  administration  and  parliament. 

The  trouble  with  the  Young  Turks  was  that  they  had  no 
leaders  who  truly  comprehended  and  heartily  adopted  the 
fundamental  principle  upon  which  a  real  constitutional  gov- 
ernment is  based.  (None  of  the  leaders  had  had  an  American 
college  training  as  the  leaders  in  Bulgaria  had.)  That  prin- 
ciple is  the  equality  in  civil  affairs  of  all  the  subjects  of  the 
state,  with  impartial  justice  and  equal  opportunities  for  all. 
This  principle  the  Young  Turks  adopted  in  theory,  and  for 
political  reasons  professed  to  follow,  but  in  fact  they  were  a 
small  minority,  perhaps  20  per  cent  of  the  whole  Moham- 
medan population,  and  were  soon  confronted  by  the  old  tra- 
ditionary sentiment  which  demanded  Mohammedan  suprem- 
acy. In  short,  the  everlasting  controversy  between  the  new 


44  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

and  the  old,  between  equal  rights  and  special  privilege,  be- 
tween tolerance  and  fanaticism,  between  liberty  and  des- 
potism asserted  itself,  and  the  intolerant  Mohammedan  senti- 
ment triumphed.  The  Young  Turks  wished  to  maintain  their 
power,  and,  while  acting  under  constitutional  forms,  them- 
selves became  a  despotism. 

To  attain  eclat  among  their  countrymen,  in  1914,  they,  all 
of  a  sudden,  denounced  and  abrogated  the  Capitulations, 
that  is,  the  ancient  treaties  made  with  the  European  Powers, 
for  the  safeguarding  of  the  persons  and  property  of  foreigners 
residing  in  Turkey.  In  consequence  of  the  protests  and 
threats  of  England,  France,  and  Russia,  and  in  order  to 
secure  support  in  the  controversies  with  those  Powers  which 
they  knew  were  sure  to  follow;  in  order  also  at  the  same 
time  to  thwart  any  further  opposition  at  home,  the  Young 
Turks,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  the  great  majority  of  the 
people,  plunged  into  the  great  European  war. 

Still  further  to  consolidate  their  power  in  Asia  Minor  and 
to  obviate  any  interference  of  Europe  in  behalf  of  the  Chris- 
tian subjects  of  Turkey,  following  the  example  of  Sultan 
Abdul  Hamid,  they  adopted  measures — measures  the  most 
cruel  and  diabolical — for  the  extermination  of  the  Armenian 
people.  First,  they  drafted  into  the  army  all  able-bodied 
Armenian  men;  then  they  seized,  imprisoned  and  secretly 
killed  the  remaining  men  and  boys;  then  they  drove  from 
their  homes  the  rest  of  the  people,  the  young  and  the  old,  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  the  sick  and  the  well,  and  started  them  on 
foot  from  all  points  of  Asia  Minor  on  a  journey  of  hundreds 
of  miles,  towards  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  to  die  by  the  way  from 
hunger  and  thirst,  from  weariness  and  exposure,  while  thou- 
sands of  women  and  girls  were  forced  into  a  life  of  shame 
and  slavery  in  Moslem  tents  and  huts  and  houses.  Of  course 
the  goods  and  property  of  all  these  people— perhaps  1,000,000 
in  number — were  seized  and  confiscated.  These  cruelties  and 
crimes  were  explicitly  ordered  by  the  leaders  of  the  Young 


THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION  45 

Turks  at  Constantinople  and  executed  by  the  regular  Turkish 
officials.  We  are  glad  to  be  able  to  add,  however,  that  some 
officials  refused  to  execute  the  infamous  orders  and  gave  up 
their  posts,  and  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  a  large  part 
of  the  Mohammedan  population  did  not  approve  of  them. 
Alas !  that  the  movement  of  the  Young  Turks,  begun  so  hope- 
fully, should  issue  in  such  crimes.  Alas!  that  the  Young 
Turks  should  thus  have  blackened  their  name  with  infamy, 
and  should  have  rendered  themselves  unworthy  of  the  recog- 
nition of  any  self-respecting  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

But  the  Turks  say,  "The  Armenians  are  rebels.  Witness 
what  they  did  in  Van !  Did  not  the  Outlook  newspaper  some 
months  ago  print  a  picture  of  the  barricades  which  the  Ar- 
menians built  in  the  streets  of  that  city?"  Such  was  the 
statement  of  a  Turk  in  a  letter  published  in  the  New  York 
Times  of  October  18,  1915.  We  reprint  the  picture. 

Well,  what  are  the  facts  ?  In  April  and  May,  1915,  Turkish 
soldiers  and  Kourds  made  savage  assaults  on  the  Armenian 
towns  and  villages  within  a  circuit  of  50  miles  of  Van.  With 
merciless  cruelty  they  killed  thousands  of  helpless  people, 
multitudes  of  girls  and  women  they  carried  away  to  a  life 
of  shame  and  slavery;  they  drove  away  the  flocks  and  herds, 
and  stole  whatever  they  could  carry  off;  and,  finally,  they 
burned  the  houses  of  the  villagers  and  left  the  land  waste 
and  desolate.  Some  poor  wretches  escaped  to  Van,  and  they 
brought  to  the  American  hospital  women  with  breasts  cut  off 
and  children  so  mutilated  that  decency  forbids  description. 

In  the  large  town  of  Agantz,  only  40  miles  from  Van,  all 
the  Armenian  men  were  ordered  to  come  to  the  Government 
Building  "to  hear  an  important  proclamation."  Those  who 
hesitated  were  forced  to  come  by  the  police.  When  they 
were  all  within  the  enclosure,  they  were  divided  into  groups 
of  50,  they  were  bound  and  were  all  shot  to  the  number  of 
2,500.  The  women  and  children  and  the  houses  with  all 
their  contents  were  then  given  over  to  the  Turks  and  Kourds. 


46  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

On  April  20,  by  command  of  Jevdet  Bey,  the  governor  of 
Van,  Turkish  soldiers  began  an  attack  on  Van,  the  ancient 
capital  of  the  Armenian  kingdom,  and  at  the  time  a  city  of 
50,000  inhabitants,  three-fifths  of  whom  were  Armenians,  and 
the  remainder  Turks.  Thereupon  some  3,000  Armenians,  see- 
ing the  awful  fate  which  threatened  them  and  their  families, 
determined  to  defend  themselves  with  such  weapons  as  they 
had  and  such  barricades  as  they  could  hastily  erect,  and 
until  the  middle  of  May  they  held  back,  with  small  loss  of  life, 
several  thousand  Turkish  troops.  On  May  16,  the  Turks  and 
Kourds,  hearing  that  a  Russian  force  was  approaching,  raised 
the  siege  and  fled  towards  Bitlis,  taking  with  them  from  a 
Turkish  hospital  Miss  McLaren,  an  American  nurse,  and 
Schwester  Martha,  a  German  nurse,  to  tend  sick  officers.  In 
their  flight  the  Turks  left  behind  25  Turkish  soldiers,  too  ill 
to  travel,  and  1,000  destitute  women  and  children,  many 
of  them  dangerously  ill  with  typhus  fever.  All  these  forsaken 
people  the  Armenians,  by  permission  of  the  missionaries, 
brought  within  the  mission  compound,  where  they  were  lodged 
in  the  mission  school  buildings  and  hospital,  and  were  fed  and 
tended  until  near  the  end  of  July,  at  the  peril  of  the  lives 
of  the  missionary  attendants.  Indeed,  early  in  July  Dr. 
Ussher,  the  leading  physician,  and  his  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yarrow,  and  Miss  Rogers,  the  principal  of  the  girls'  school, 
were  taken  with  the  dreaded  disease,  and  on  July  13  Mrs. 
Ussher  died,  and  was  buried  in  the  missionary  graveyard, 
while  her  husband  and  Mr.  Yarrow  were  too  ill  to  be  informed 
of  the  sad  event.  When,  near  the  end  of  July,  a  larger 
Turkish  force  approached  Van,  the  entire  Armenian  popu- 
lation and  15  American  missionaries,  including  children,  fled, 
and  after  weeks  of  incredible  hardship  and  no  little  loss 
reached  the  Russian  border.  Mrs.  Raynolds,  whose  leg  was 
broken  in  the  flight,  utterly  exhausted,  died  in  Tiflis  on 
August  12,  1915,  two  days  before  the  arrival  of  her  husband 
from  America,  and  after  47  years  of  missionary  service. 


ARROWS  SHOW  DEPORT 


RELIEF   CENTERS 


48  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

It  may  be  added  that  after  the  flight  of  the  Armenians, 
the  Turks  and  Kourds  plundered  the  city  of  Van  and  burned 
a  good  part  of  it,  including  the  mission  hospital  and  church 
and  several  other  buildings.  Subsequently  the  Eussians  re- 
turned in  larger  force,  and  again  the  Turks  fled,  and  Van  is 
again  in  Russian  hands. 

Such  is  the  history,  in  brief,  of  the  so-called  rebellion  of 
the  Van  Armenians.  It  was  an  attempt  to  defend  themselves 
and  their  families  from  sure  outrage  and  death,  and  this 
attempt  occurred  only  after  the  Young  Turkish  leaders  in 
Constantinople  had  for  months  been  sending  into  merciless 
deportation  and  destruction  hundreds  of  thousands  of  inno- 
cent men,  women,  and  children!  Out  of  one  body  of  Ar- 
menians numbering  5,000,  deported  from  Harpout,  only  213 
survived  to  reach  Aleppo,  and  these,  almost  naked  and  fam- 
ished, were  to  be  driven  forward  to  the  desert  of  Meso- 
potamia. 

Are  the  few  Young  Turks  who  are  responsible  for  such 
diabolical  revenge  the  fitting  representatives  of  their  nation? 
We  do  not  believe  it.  Is  such  action  the  end  of  the  splendid 
attempt  at  constitutional  government  in  Turkey?  By  the 
favor  and  mercy  of  God,  we  hope  not. 

MOHAMMEDAN  PROTEST  AGAINST  ARMENIAN  MASSACRES 

According  to  The  Englishman  of  Calcutta,  a  number  of  pro- 
tests have  been  made  by  Indian  Moslems  against  the  Turkish 
policy  of  exterminating  the  Armenian  population.  "A  strik- 
ing address  was  delivered  at  Kerbala  to  the  large  gathering  of 
Moslems  who  had  assembled  to  take  part  in  the  final  ceremonies 
of  the  Moharrum.  Haji  S.  Zohar,  the  oldest  member  of  the  So- 
ciety for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  in  speaking  of 
the  terrible  slaughter  of  Armenians  by  his  hearers '  co-religion- 
ists, the  Turks,  said  a  crime  so  repulsive  as  this  was  against 
God  and  the  cardinal  principles  of  the  Moslem  |aith."- 
Quoted  from  The  Moslem  World,  July,  1916. 


THE  ARMENIAN  QUESTION  48a 

EXTENT  OF  THE  ARMENIAN  CATASTROPHE 

In  regard  to  the  number  of  Armenians  in  Turkey  and  the 
extent  of  the  disaster  that  has  overtaken  them,  the  best  in- 
formation at  present  available  is  found  in  Bulletin  No.  5, 
issued  May  24,  1916,  by  the  American  Committee  for  Ar- 
menian and  Syrian  Relief,  70  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York,  of  which 
Rev.  James  L.  Barton,  D.D.,  is  Chairman,  Mr.  Samuel  T. 
Button,  Secretary,  and  Mr.  Charles  R.  Crane,  Treasurer. 

This  Committee  is  in  the  best  position  to  learn  the  facts 
and  to  do  all  that  can  be  done  to  aid  the  survivors,  and  de- 
serves the  most  generous  support  of  the  American  public. 
Up  to  the  middle  of  July,  1916,  the  Committee  had  received 
contributions  amounting  to  One  Million  Dollars,  of  which 
$330,000.00  was  contributed  by  the  Rockefeller  Foundation. 

The  following  is  quoted  from  the  above  mentioned  Bulletin 
of  the  Committee : 

The  most  extensive  and  most  difficult  work  carried  on  by  the  Amer- 
ican Committee  for  Armenian  and  Syrian  Relief  lies  within  the  borders 
of  the  Turkish  Empire.  Here,  in  January,  1915,  the  Armenians  num- 
bered between  sixteen  hundred  thousand  and  two  million.  Precise  sta- 
tistics do  not  exist.  The  estimates  of  the  Turkish  Government  are 
usually  considered  to  be  too  low  and  those  of  the  Armenian  Patri- 
archate sometimes  too  high,  suggesting  a  tendency  in  the  one  case  to 
minimize  and  in  the  other  to  exaggerate  the  size  and  consequent  im- 
portance of  the  Armenian  population. 

Twelve  months  later,  in  January,  1916,  from  one-third  to  one-half 
of  the  Armenians  in  Turkey  had  fallen  victims  of  deportation,  dis- 
ease, starvation  or  massacre. 

All  these  statistics  are  subject  to  fluctuation  due  to  the  removal  of 
the  refugees  from  one  region  to  another  and  also  to  the  varying  dates 
on  which  the  enumerations  or  estimates  were  made.  Bearing  these 
critical  considerations  in  mind  we  may  tabulate  the  best  figures,  as 
follows : 

ARMENIAN  REFUGEES 

Around   Aleppo,   Damascus,    Zor    486,000 

hi    other    parts    of    Turkey 300,000 


48b  EXTENT  OF  ARMENIAN  CATASTROPHE 

In  the  Russian  Caucasus    182,800 

In  districts  of  Turkey  conquered  by  Russia    12,100 

In  Salinas,  Persia    9,000 


989,900 

If  we  may  add  to  these  numbers  the  undeported  Armenian  popula- 
tions in  Constantinople  and  Smyrna,  perhaps  150,000  in  all,  we  can 
perhaps  estimate  the  total  number  of  survivors  at  under  1,150,000.  If 
we  accept  the  estimate  that  the  Armenian  population  of  Turkey  at  the 
beginning  of  1915  was  between  1,600,000  and  2,000,000  we  should  com- 
pute the  number  of  deaths  at  between  450,000  and  850,000.  We  shall 
probably  be  safe  in  saying  that  the  Armenian  dead  number  at  least 
600,000. 

Six  hundred  thousand  men,  women  and  children  died  within  a  year. 
There  was  recently  held  in  New  York  City  a  Preparedness  Parade, 
which  marched  up  Fifth  Avenue  twenty  abreast  and  took  about  thirteen 
hours  to  pass  a  given  point.  From  10  A.M.  till  well  into  the  evening, 
this  great  army  of  over  125,000  continued  to  tramp  up  the  street.  If 
the  Armenian  men,  women  and  children  who  died  in  Turkey  within  a 
twelvemonth  should  rise  again  and  march  in  solemn  procession  to  beg 
the  assistance  of  the  American  people  for  their  surviving  brothers,  the 
procession  would  not  be  125,000  but  600,000,  five  times  as  long. 
Marching  twenty  abreast  it  would  take  two  days  and  two  nights  to 
pass  the  Great  Reviewing  Stand. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED* 

" CRUEL  AS  A  TURK"  is  an  expression  often  heard,  and 
there  is  much  in  Turkish  history  to  justify  this  characteriza- 
tion. Yet  I  wish  to  say,  not  only  as  my  opinion  but  also 
that  of  many  missionaries,  that  the  Turks,  by  nature,  are 
not  more  cruel  than  men  of  other  races.  Naturally  the 
Turks  have  many  good  qualities.  They  are  fond  of  chiL 
dren,  of  dumb  animals,  of  flowers.  They  are  kind  and  hos- 
pitable, cleanly  and  temperate.  It  is  their  religion  as  taught 
by  the  example  of  Mohammed,  which,  on  occasion,  incites 
them  to  rage  and  cruelty. 

Like  all  Mohammedans  the  Turks  have  a  sacred  book,  the 
Mohammedan  Bible,  the  Koran.  This  book  is  a  strange  med- 
ley of  sense  and  nonsense,  of  good  and  evil.  On  the  one  hand 
the  Koran  teaches  that  God  is  a  spirit,  omniscient,  omnipo- 
tent and  omnipresent,  and  Mohammedans  give  99  names  to 
God,  each  name  expressive  of  some  quality  or  attribute.  But 
among  all  these  names  there  is  not  one  which  expresses  his 
love  and  fatherhood.  In  all  the  Koran  there  is  no  word 
which  resembles  John  3:16:  "God  so  loved  the  world  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 

The   Koran   speaks   of   faith,   repentance,   good   and   evil 

*  Note:  If  any  apology  is  needed  for  the  inclusion  of  a  chapter  with  the 
above  title  in  this  book,  it  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  moral  lapse  of  Mo- 
hammed in  his  later  years,  jealously  veiled  as  it  is  by  Mohammedans,  forms  all 
through  the  Near  East  and  in  India  the  chief  cause  of  moraj  decay  among 
Moslems.  With  many  Mohammedans  the  influence  of  Mohammed's  life  robs 
the  Gospel  of  its  power. 

49 


50  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

angels,  the  resurrection,  the  judgment,  heaven  and  hell,  but 
the  explanation  which  Mohammedans  give  of  these  words  is 
very  different  from  the  Christian  explanation. 

The  Koran  sanctions  polygamy,  concubinage,  unrestrained 
divorce  and  slavery — institutions  whose  baneful  influence 
words  utterly  fail  to  express. 

It  is  not,  however,  the  Mohammedan  Bible  which  has  made 
the  deepest  impression  on  Mohammedan  peoples.     Moham- 
medans say  that  the  Koran  was  written  in  heaven,  in  the 
Arabic  language,  by  the  finger  of  God,  on  a  stone  of  vast 
dimensions,  called  in  Arabic,  " Levha-i-Mahfouz,"  The  Pre- 
served Tablet.     They  say  that  a  copy  of  this  book  was  made, 
and  was  sent  down  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  heaven, 
whence  it  was  delivered,  piecemeal,  by  the  hand  of  the  angel 
Gabriel  to  the  prophet  Mohammed.     Hence   they  say  that 
every  one  of  the  77,639  Arabic  words  found  in  the  Koran 
is  an  exact  and  veritable  word  of  God,  and  cannot  be  changed. 
Hence  Mohammedans  have  been  loath  to  have  their  sacred 
book  translated  into  the  language  of  any  Mohammedan  peo- 
ple which  did  not  speak  Arabic.     Now  it  is  estimated  that 
of  all  the  Mohammedans  in  the  world — some  200,000,000,  or 
nearly  one-seventh  part  of  the  human  race — 75  per  cent,  do 
not  speak  Arabic,  and  90  per  cent,  are  illiterate.     Hence  the 
great  mass  of  Mohammedans  do  not,  cannot,  read  their  sacred 
book.     They  know  only  a  few  colloquial  expressions  and  a 
few  verses  quoted  from  the  Koran,   committed  to  memory 
and  repeated  in  their  formal  prayers,  but  the  book  itself 
they  do  not  know.     Hence,  I  repeat,  it  is  not  the  Moham- 
medan  Bible   which   has   made   the   deepest   impression   on 
Mohammedan  peoples.     No,  it  is  the  story  of  the  life  of  the 
man  Mohammed. 

Mohammed  was  born  in  the  year  570  in  Mecca,  the  chief 
city  of  Arabia.  He  was  early  bereft  of  his  father  and  mother 
and  was  left  to  the  care  of  his  grandfather  and  uncle.  He 
was  a  bright  and  active  boy,  but,  strange  to  say,  was  never 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED        51 

taught  to  read  or  write,  and  in  after  years  prided  himself 
on  being  known  as  the  illiterate  prophet,  and  he  himself  de- 
clared that  since  he  knew  not  how  to  read  or  write,  he  could 
never  have  composed  the  Koran,  and  that,  hence,  the  book 
must  have  been  composed  by  God  himself.  This  is  said  to 
be  the  chief  argument  which  Mohammed  ever  brought  for- 
ward to  prove  that  the  Koran  was  the  Word  of  God. 

When  Mohammed  was  12  years  old  he  was  taken  by  his 
uncle  on  a  trading  expedition  to  Syria,  and  when  25  years 
of  age,  he  was  known  for  a  while  as  Mohammed  the  camel- 
driver.  The  circumstances  were  these :  For  centuries  be- 
fore the  coming  of  Mohammed  the  chief  business  of  some  of 
the  poor  tribes  of  Arabia  was  the  transportation  of  mer- 
chandise. What  was  the  merchandise  and  whence  did  it 
come?  The  merchandise  consisted  of  silk,  linen,  tea,  spices, 
drugs,  incense,  and  precious  stones  found  in  China  and  India. 
Native  merchants  in  the  sea-board  cities  of  those  countries 
gathered  together  these  costly  commodities  and  sent  them  by 
sailing  vessels  across  the  Indian  Ocean  to  the  eastern  coast 
of  Arabia,  Here  the .  ships  were  unloaded,  and  the  goods 
were  taken  up  by  caravans  of  camels  and  transported  across 
the  deserts  of  Arabia  to  the  northwestern  extremity  of  the 
Red  Sea  and  to  the  borders  of  Palestine,  whence  the  goods 
were  distributed  by  native  merchants  to  Egypt,  Syria,  Asia 
Minor  and  Europe. 

Now  there  was  in  Mecca  a  rich  widow,  Khadijah  by  name, 
who  had  camels  and  was  engaged  in  the  transportation  busi- 
ness, and,  seeing  the  stalwart  young  man  Mohammed,  she 
hired  him  to  attend  her  caravan  on  a  trip  to  Syria.  During 
this  trip  Mohammed  came  in  close  touch  with  the  Christian 
peoples  found  in  that  land.  He  saw  their  manner  of  trad- 
ing, of  life  and  of  worship.  He  saw  their  churches  filled 
with  pictures  and  images ;  pictures  of  a  bearded  old  man 
said  to  represent  God,  pictures  and  images  of  Christ,  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  of  the  apostles  and  saints.  He  saw  the  wor- 


52  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

shipers  entering  the  churches,  each  worshiper  purchasing  at 
the  door  a  small  candle,  lighting  the  candle,  entering  the 
church,  placing  the  lighted  candle  in  a  hole  of  an  iron  band 
set  up  in  front  of  each  picture  and  image,  then  prostrating 
himself  on  the  floor  and  addressing  his  prayer  toward  the 
picture  or  image.  All  this  made  a  very  bad  impression  on 
the  mind  of  Mohammed,  and  he  seems  to  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  Christians  whom  he  saw  were  substan- 
tially idolaters.  Alas  for  the  sad  impression  made  upon  this 
talented  man !  Had  he  seen  some  examples  of  the  pure  lives, 
and  of  the  simple  worship  of  the  Christians  of  the  first  three 
centuries,  what  a  different  impression  would  have  been  made 
upon  his  mind!  Surely  he  might  have  become  a  Christian! 
And  we  may  well  say  that  the  corrupt  type  of  Christianity 
which  Mohammed  saw  in  Syria  in  the  sixth  century  was 
largely  responsible  for  the  errors  and  woes  of  Moham- 
medanism. 

Now  the  widow  Khadijah  was  much  pleased  with  her 
young  camel-driver,  and  offered  him  her  hand  in  marriage 
and  was  accepted.  She  was  then  40  years  of  age  and  he  was 
25.  They  lived  happily  together  for  25  years,  tasting  both 
the  sweet  and  the  bitter  of  an  ordinary  human  life.  Their 
two  boys  died  early;  their  four  girls  were  early  given  in 
marriage;  all  their  children  died  early  save  the  youngest 
daughter,  Fatima  by  name,  who  became  the  wife  of  Ali,  the 
fourth  caliph,  or  successor  of  Mohammed. 

Mohammed  was  a  man  of  commanding  mien,  of  a  piercing 
eye,  of  keen  intelligence,  of  a  firm  resolution,  faithful  to  his 
friends,  but  vindictive  toward  his  enemies.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  religious  susceptibility,  and,  not  being  obliged  to 
work  for  a  living  since  his  wife  was  rich,  he  was  accustomed 
to  withdraw,  for  days  and  weeks  at  a  time,  from  his  home 
in  Mecca  to  a  cave  in  Mount  Hira  in  the  rear  of  Mecca,  and 
there  to  give  expression  to  his  religious  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings in  Arabic,  in  poetic  language,  and  these,  expressions, 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED         53 

were  written  down  by  his  friends  and  followers  and  after- 
wards iK-came  chapters  of  the  Koran. 

When  Mohammed  was  about  40  years  of  age  he  seems  to 
have  discerned  amid  the  dim  traditions  of  the  Arabians  the 
elements  of  a  purer  religion,  which  he  called  the  religion  of 
Abraham,  and  through  his  intercourse  with  Jews  and  Chris- 
tians he  came  to  the  conception  of  the  unity  and  spirituality 
of  God.  With  these  new  thoughts  and  conceptions  of  relig- 
ion Mohammed  became  disgusted  with  the  idolatry  of  his 
countrymen.  Centuries  before  his  birth  the  Arabians  had 
built  in  Mecca  a  sacred  house,  called  Beit-Ullah — the  House 
of  God.  It  was  built  somewhat  after  the  pattern  of  the 
Tabernacle  in  the  Wilderness,  that  is,  in  the  shape  of  a  cube, 
and,  hence,  was  called  the  Kaaba,  which  is  the  Arabic  word 
for  cube.  In  this  sacred  house  there  was,  first  of  all,  a  fa- 
mous Black  Stone,  said  to  have  been  brought  by  the  angel 
Gabriel  from  the  Garden  of  Eden  to  Mecca.  It  is  still  there, 
and  is  an  object  of  great  veneration.  Besides  the  Black 
Stone  there  were  in  the  Kaaba  360  idols,  belonging  to  the 
different  tribes  of  Arabia,  and,  according  to  an  understand- 
ing among  the  tribes,  each  tribe  was  permitted,  once  a  year, 
to  come  to  Mecca  without  molestation  for  the  worship  of  its 
idols.  Now  Mohammed  tried  to  persuade  his  countrymen  to 
give  up  idolatry,  but  they  refused  to  listen  to  him.  Through 
their  intercourse  with  Jews  and  Christians  they  had  become 
familiar  with  the  names  of  the  patriarchs  and  prophets  men- 
tioned in  the  Old  Testament,  and  they  said  to  Mohammed, 
"You  give  no  sign  of  being  a  prophet  and  we  will  not  listen 
to  you."  And  so  Mohammed,  after  having  endeavored  for 
a  considerable  time  to  get  a  hearing  in  his  own  name,  at 
last  came  before  his  countrymen  with  the  declaration  that, 
once  and  again,  he  had  had  a  vision  of  the  angel  Gabriel, 
and  through  the  angel  had  received  the  command  of  God  to 
preach,  that  is,  to  declare  and  publish  his  religious  thoughts 
and  sentiments,  and  this  he  began  to  do  when  about  40 


54  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

years  of  age.  He  continued  to  preach,  to  his  countrymen 
in  Mecca  for  12  years,  with  ever-increasing  persecution.  In 
the  first  four  years  he  made  40  converts,  among  whom  the 
first  was  his  faithful  wife  Khadijah,  then  his  two  adopted 
sons,  Zeid  and  Ali,  then  some  slaves,  and,  most  important  of 
all,  four  merchants  of  Mecca,  among  whom  the  chief  was 
Abu  Bekr,  who  became  the  first  caliph,  and  during  his  whole 
ministry  of  12  years  in  Mecca  he  made  150  converts. 

When  Mohammed  was  50  years  old  he  met  with  a  grievous 
loss  in  the  death  of  his  wife  and  uncle,  and  so  great  was  the 
persecution  that  he  fled  from  Mecca  to  Tayif,  a  city  60  miles 
east.  As  soon,  however,  as  he  was  found  out  in  that  city, 
he  was  driven  away,  and  was  obliged  to  return  to  Mecca, 
where  for  a  while  he  secured  the  protection  of  an  influential 
chief.  Soon  after  his  return  to  Mecca  an  event  occurred 
fraught  with  great  good  fortune  to  Mohammed.  On  the 
occasion  of  the  annual  pilgrimage  of  the  Arab  tribes  to  Mecca 
for  the  worship  of  their  idols,  seven  Arabs  came  from  Me- 
dina, a  city  250  miles  north  of  Mecca.  These  men  met  Mo 
hammed,  had  interviews  with  him,  listened  to  his  teachings 
and  claims,  and  became  his  disciples,  and  on  their  return 
to  Medina  made  many  disciples  in  the  name  of  Mohammed. 

When  Mohammed  was  52  years  old,  so  great  was  the  per- 
secution of  himself  and  his  followers  that  he  commanded 
them  all  to  withdraw  from  Mecca  and  go  to  Medina,  where 
they  would  find  friends  and  protection,  and  shortly  after  the 
departure  of  his  followers  Mohammed  himself,  accompanied 
by  his  bosom-friend  Abu  Bekr,  left  for  Medina  This  jour- 
ney is  called  "The  Flight  of  Mohammed"  In  Arabic  it  is 
Hijre,  in  English,  Hegira.  The  journey,  lasting  eight  days, 
began  on  June  20,  622,  and  this  date  marks  the  beginning 
of  the  Mohammedan  era. 

Now  up  to  this  point,  according  to  all  the  biographers  of 
Mohammed  there  was  much  in  the  life  and  teachings  of  this 
remarkable  man  which  was  worthy  of  recognition  and  com- 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED         55 

mendation.  His  conception  of  the  unity  and  spirituality  of 
God,  however  defective  that  conception  was;  his  denunciation 
of  idolatry,  and  of  infanticide,  especially  the  killing  of  infant 
girls,  very  prevalent  among  the  Arabs ;  his  patient  endurance 
of  persecution  for  12  years  in  Mecca,  and,  finally  his  moral 
life  during  the  lifetime  of  his  first  wife;  these  are  facts 
which  have  well  been  deemed  worthy  of  recognition  and 
commendation. 

It  is  a  pity  that  some  of  the  biographers  of  Mohammed, 
such  as  Bosworth  Smith  and  Carlyle  and  Washington  Ir- 
ving, have  dwelt  at  length  on  the  good  qualities  which  Mo- 
hammed exhibited  during  his  ministry  in  Mecca,  and  have 
passed  lightly  over  the  bad  qualities  which  he  exhibited  after 
he  came  to  Medina.  For  when  Mohammed  came  to  Medina, 
and  there  found  that  he  had  a  powerful  backing  and  was 
master  of  the  situation,  there  occurred  a  very  great  and  a 
very  lamentable  change  in  his  life  and  character.  Indeed, 
it  is  doubtful  whether  history  affords  another  such  instance, 
of  a  famous  man  in  whose  life  and  character  so  great  a  change 
occurred  as  in  that  of  Mohammed. 

During  the  first  25  years  of  his  married  life  he  was  faith- 
ful to  his  wife  Khadijah;  but,  shortly  after  her  death,  he 
took  a  second  wife,  and  in  his  54th  year  he  took  a  third  wife, 
the  daughter  of  his  friend  Abu  Bekr,  the  famous  Ayesha, 
a  girl  of  10  years;  and  during  the  12  years  elapsing  between 
the  death  of  Khadijah,  when  he  was  50,  and  his  own  death 
when  he  was  62  years  old,  he  took  to  himself  ten  wives  and 
two  concubines.  These  marriages  caused  scandal  and  mur- 
muring among  his  followers,  both  on  account  of  their  num- 
ber and  on  account  of  the  character  of  some  of  them.  Mo- 
hammed himself  had  laid  down  in  the  Koran  as  the  law  of 
God  that  Mohammedan  believers  were  allowed  to  have,  each, 
not  more  than  four  wives,  and  he  had  taken  ten,  besides  con- 
cubines. Then  some  of  his  marriages  were  specially  scan- 
dalous. For  example,  his  adopted  son  Zeid,  then  a  man  of 


56  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

46  years,  had  a  beautiful  wife,  30  years  old,  Zeinab  by  name. 
One  day  Mohammed  got  a  stolen  view  of  this  beautiful 
woman  and  became  enamored  of  her,  and  Zeid,  seeing  this, 
said  to  his  wife,  "Ent  talik"—irFhou  art  divorced  "—and 
sent  her  from  his  house,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  prophet 
took  her  to  wife.  Sir  William  Muir,  the  distinguished  Eng- 
lish biographer  of  Mohammed,  says :  ' '  When  he,  Mohammed, 
was  full  three  score  years  of  age,  no  fewer  than  three  new 
wives,  besides  Mary,  the  Coptic  slave,  were  within  the  space 
of  seven  months  added  to  his  already  well-filled  harem." 
According  to  the  secretary  of  Wackidy,  one  of  Mohammed's 
Arab  biographers,  his  favorite  wife,  Ayesha,  used  to  say: 
"The  Prophet  loved  three  things, — women,  scents  and  food; 
he  had  his  heart 's  desire  of  the  first  two,  but  not  of  the  last. ' ' 

Now  in  order  to  silence  the  scandal  and  murmuring  of  his 
followers  and  justify  himself,  Mohammed  came  before  his 
people  with  the  declaration  that  he  had  had  another  vision  of 
the  angel  Gabriel,  and  through  the  angel  had  received  the 
permission  of  God  to  take  more  wives  than  were  allowed  to 
other  men.  This  statement  seems  to  have  satisfied  his  follow- 
ers. Granted  the  vision  of  the  angel  and  the  permission  of 
God,  what  more  was  to  be  said?  His  followers  could  but 
throw  up  their  hands  in  amazement  and  cry  out,  Mashallah, 
0  great  wonder!  What  a  favorite  of  heaven  our  prophet 
must  be  that  he  is  permitted  to  have  so  many  more  wives 
than  are  allowed  to  other  men ! 

Well,  what  should  the  prophet  do  with  12  wives?  This 
was  the  most  momentous  question  that  Mohammed  was  ever 
called  upon  to  solve,  and  he  solved  it  on  the  basis  of  mistrust. 
He  said  in  effect :  I  cannot  trust  my  wives  that  they  will  be 
faithful  to  me;  they  are  incapable  of  self-control  and  so  are 
unworthy  of  confidence.  And  what  was  the  alternative? 
The  alternative,  according  to  Mohammed,  was  seclusion.  To 
every  one  of  his  followers  he  said,  in  fact:  If  you  cannot 
trust  your  wife,  shut  her  up.  So  he  gave  each  of  his  wives 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED         57 

a  separate  house.  Had  there  been  windows  in  the  houses, 
they  would  have  been  heavily  latticed,  so  that  no  mortal  eye 
could  peep  through.  He  commanded  that  his  wives,  when- 
ever they  appeared  in  public,  should  be  covered  with  a  mantle 
or  sheet,  so  as  to  conceal  both  the  face  and  form.  Then  he 
gave  to  his  wives  the  name  harem,  which  means  prohibited, 
and  his  idea  was  that  his  wives  were  forbidden  all  social 
intercourse  with  persons  of  the  opposite  sex.  Now  the  ex- 
ample of  Mohammed  in  the  treatment  of  his  wives  became  the 
law  of  all  his  followers,  and  fixed  the  status  of  all  Mohamme- 
dan women  in  all  lands  for  all  time.  This  attitude  towards 
women,  based  on  mistrust,  has  had  the  most  baneful  influence 
on  the  social  and  moral  life  of  all  Mohammedans.  It  has 
brutalized  the  man,  debased  the  woman,  and  robbed  the 
home  of  purity  and  peace.  This  is  the  first  count  against 
Mohammed. 

Again,  Mohammed,  so  long  as  he  remained  in  Mecca,  de- 
clared that  it  was  his  business  simply  to  preach  and  persuade 
men,  with  no  form  of  compulsion.  But  when  he  came  to 
Medina,  and  found  that  he  had  a  large  body  of  followers 
and  was  master  of  the  situation,  he  took  the  sword  in 
hand  and  demanded  of  all  Arabs  and  of  all  Jews  and 
Christians  in  and  around  Medina  and  in  all  northern 
Arabia,  that  they  acknowledge  him  as  the  apostle  of  God, 
and  the  alternative  was,  submission  or  death.  He  chose  to 
designate  his  religion  by  the  word  Islam — the  only  word  by 
which  Mohammedans,  the  world  over,  designate  their  religion. 
Now  the  word  Islam  means  submission,  and  the  idea  was 
submission  to  God  and  at  the  same  time  submission  to  Mo- 
hammed as  the  apostle  of  God.  All  this  is  expressed  in  the 
wonderful  Mohammedan  creed,  the  shortest  and  most  influen- 
tial creed  that  ever  the  wit  of  man  invented.  It  consists 
of  but  eight  words  in  two  parts.  The  first  part  is  this: 
"La  Ilaha  III- Allah"— There  is  no  God  but  Allah,  the  God, 
the  one  and  true  God.  This  is  a  great  truth.  And  the 


58  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

second  part  is  in  these  words:  "Ve  Mouhammed  Resoul- 
Oullah" — And  Mohammed  is  the  Apostle  of  God.  This  is  a 
great  untruth.  This  great  truth  and  this  great  untruth  are 
indissolubly  associated  in  every  Mohammedan  mind.  This 
creed  is  the  cradle-song  of  the  Mohammedan  mother.  It  is 
the  battle-cry  of  the  Mohammedan  warrior.  Every  pious 
Mohammedan,  who  repeats  his  formal  prayer  five  times  a 
day,  repeats  this  creed  70  times  a  day. 

Now  Mohammed,  in  enforcing  his  demand  that  all  Arabs, 
Jews  and  Christians  acknowledge  himself  as  the  apostle  of 
God,  at  once  resorted  to  violence  and  cruelty.  Not  long  after 
coming  to  Medina  Mohammed  was  offended  with  several  per- 
sons, not  only  because  they  would  not  admit  his  claims,  but 
also  because  some  of  them  composed  verses  which  displeased 
him,  and  he  directly  brought  about  their  murder  by  the  hand 
of  assassins. 

Against  the  Jews  also  who  refused  to  believe  in  him  his 
anger  was  very  hot.  Some  two  miles  from  Medina  there  was 
a  prosperous  Jewish  town  of  4,000  people,  called  the  Beni 
Coreitza.  They  spoke  Arabic  and  conformed  to  Arab  cus- 
toms. They  held,  however,  to  their  Jewish  faith,  and  refused 
to  acknowledge  Mohammed  as  the  prophet  of  God.  There- 
upon Mohammed  gathered  together  a  force  of  3,000  men  and 
marched  against  the  town.  It  was  a  walled  town  and  strong, 
and  as  Mohammed  did  not  wish  to  assault  it  and  sacrifice 
the  lives  of  his  followers,  he  surrounded  the  town  and  in  14 
days  reduced  it  to  submission  by  starvation.  He  divided  the 
rich  booty  among  his  men;  some  of  the  women  and  children 
he  gave  to  his  followers,  and  the  rest  he  sold  to  the  Bedouin 
Arabs,  save  one  beautiful  Jewish  woman,  Rihana  by  name, 
whom  he  kept  for  himself.  Then  the  men  of  the  town — the 
husbands,  fathers,  and  grown-up  sons,  to  the  number  of  800 — 
were  brought  into  his  presence  in  groups  of  five  or  six,  they 
were  compelled  to  sit  down  on  the  edge  of  a  ditch,  their  heads 
were  stricken  off  and  their  bodies  cast  into  the  ditch.  This 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED        59 

X 

gruesome  work  began  at  early  dawn  and  was  continued  by 
torchlight  till  late  at  night. 

Finally,  according  to  tradition,  Mohammed  on  his  death-bed 
at  the  age  of  62,  gave  command  to  his  great  captains,  Abu 
Bekr,  Omar,  Othman,  Ali,  Khalid,  Amru,  and  others,  saying, 
' '  Let  there  not  remain  any  faith  but  that  of  Islam  throughout 
Arabia."  Whether  or  not  this  command  was  authentic,  this 
much  is  certain,  that  after  Mohammed  established  himself  in 
Medina,  he  utterly  repudiated  the  idea  of  a  peaceful  dissemi- 
nation of  his  religion,  and  during  the  10  years  of  his  personal 
rule  resorted  to  every  form  of  violence  in  his  endeavor  to 
compel  all  Arabs,  Jews,  and  Christians  in  Arabia  to  acknowl- 
edge himself  as  the  apostle  of  God. 

Again,  Mohammed,  on  coming  to  Medina,  soon  saw  that  he 
could  not  possibly  hold  the  poor  tribes  of  Arabia  in  allegiance 
to  himself  save  by  pandering  to  their  passion  for  plunder. 
The  Arabs,  from  the  time  of  Ishmael,  from  whom  they  claim 
descent,  had  subsisted  in  part  by  robbery,  and  they  de- 
manded of  Mohammed  the  same  privilege,  and  he  granted  it 
to  them.  So  year  after  year  Mohammed  sent  out  bands  of 
armed  men  to  intercept  the  caravans  of  the  people  of  Mecca 
conveying  merchandise  to  the  people  of  Syria  by  the  highway 
which  passed  not  far  from  Medina.  Some  of  the  caravans 
were  captured  and  plundered,  and  the  attendants  were  either 
killed  or  taken  .prisoners.  Indeed,  it  is  stated  that  during 
his  rule  of  10  years  in  Medina,  Mohammed  sent  out  27 
marauding  expeditions,  some  of  which  he  personally  attended. 
A  great  amount  of  plunder  was  secured,  especially  from  Jews 
and  Christians,  and  four-fifths  of  the  plunder  Mohammed 
gave  to  his  followers,  reserving  one-fifth  for  himself  and  the 
public  service.  Thus  the  poor  Arabs  were  enriched  and  the 
authority  of  Mohammed  was  strengthened. 

Finally,  Mohammed,  during  his  ministry  <  of  12  years  in 
Mecca,  posed  simply  as  a  religious  teacher,  but  when  he  came 
to  Medina  he  took  the  position  of  absolute  and  irresponsible 


60  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

ruler,  and  in  the  name  of  God  published  a  great  variety  of 
rules  and  regulations  touching  the  family,  the  social,  the  civil, 
and  the  religious  life  of  his  followers.  He  followed  in  his 
own  rule  his  conception  of  God,  merciful  and  forgiving  if  he 
chose  to  be,  but  still  a  despot,  and  for  1,300  years  all  Mo- 
hammedan rulers  in  all  lands  have  followed  his  example. 
Whether  during  the  500  years  of  the  Saracenic  empire,  or 
during  the  two  centuries  of  the  Mogul  rule  in  India,  whether 
in  Beluchistan,  Afghanistan,  Persia,  Turkey,  Arabia,  Egypt, 
Tripoli,  Tunis,  Algiers  or  Spain,  every  Mohammedan  ruler 
has  been  an  absolute  and  irresponsible  despot,  the  quality 
of  his  rule  being  tempered  by  his  personal  character. 

The  above-mentioned  facts  touching  Mohammed's  life  are 
stated  on  the  authority  of  Sir  William  Muir,  a  thoroughly 
competent  and  impartial  historian,  the  author  of,  perhaps, 
the  best  biography  of  Mohammed  (Mahomet)  in  the  English 
language.  According  to  these  facts  Mohammed,  during  the 
10  years  of  his  personal  rule  in  Medina,  was,  first,  the  slave 
of  his  sensual  passions,  and,  secondly,  in  the  propagation  of 
his  religion  scrupled  not  to  make  use  of  any  and  every  form 
of  force  and  violence.  Whatever  good  and  kindly  qualities 
he  exhibited  towards  his  friends,  vindictiveness  to  his  op- 
posers  was  his  most  striking  characteristic.  Alas !  the  Turks, 
like  other  Mohammedans,  have  followed,  not  Mohammed 's 
good  example  during  his  ministry  at  Mecca,  but  his  bad 
example  during  the  10  years  of  his  rule  at  Medina.  Herein 
is  found  the  explanation  of  the  fact  that  the  Turks,  while 
they  possess  many  good  natural  qualities,  are  known  as 
sensual  in  their  thoughts  and  practices  and  often  as  cruel  and 
vindictive  to  the  last  degree.  Witness  then  the  tremendous 
power  exerted  on  millions  of  Mohammedans,  not  primarily 
by  the  Mohammedan  Bible,  but  by  Mohammed's  personal 
example. 

Oh,  how  different  the  influence  of  the  life  of  Mohammed 
from  the  influence  of  the  life  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ! 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OP  MOHAMMED        61 

The  vast  majority  of  Christian  people  accept  the  statements 
of  the  two  evangelists,  Matthew  and  Luke,  touching  the  super- 
natural birth  of  Jesus ;  they  accept  the  statements  of  the  four 
evangelists  touching  the  miraculous  works  of  Jesus ;  all  Chris- 
tians rejoice  in  the  precious  teachings  of  Jesus  who  brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light.  Yet  I  venture  to  remark  that 
it  is  not  the  miracles  of  Jesus,  though  Jesus  himself,  in  his 
reply  to  John  the  Baptist,  appealed  to  his  miraculous  works 
as  proof  of  his  divine  commission  (Math.  11;  2-6) — it  is  not 
even  the  teachings  of  Jesus,  which  have  most  deeply  impressed 
the  great  mass  of  men  and  women  in  lands  called  Christian. 
No,  it  is  the  story  of  the  life  and  character  of  Jesus  himself 
which  has  made  the  deepest  impression  on  men.  It  is  the 
story  of  the  love  of  Jesus — a  love  which  brought  him  from 
heaven  to  earth,  which  led  to  his  incarnation,  to  his  birth  in 
Bethlehem,  to  his  beneficent  ministry  and  to  his  sacrificial 
death — it  is  the  love  of  Jesus  which  has  made  the  Christian 
loving  and  lovable.  It  is  the  gentleness  of  Jesus  which  has 
made  the  Christian  gentle.  It  is  the  meekness  of  Jesus  which 
has  made  the  Christian  meek.  It  is  the  purity  of  Jesus  which 
has  made  the  Christian  pure.  It  is  the  self-sacrificing  spirit 
of  Jesus  which  has  made  the  Christian  self-sacrificing.  In 
short,  it  is  the  man  Jesus,  back  of  the  Christ,  and  so  it  is  the 
Christlike  man  back  of  the  missionary,  and  the  Christlike 
man  back  of  the  minister,  and  the  Christlike  man  and  the 
Christlike  woman  back  of  the  professed  Christian,  it  is  this 
which  attracts  and  draws  and  enlightens  and  persuades  and 
by  the  grace  of  God  converts  men. 

How  TO  REACH  MOHAMMEDANS 

And  this  leads  me  to  mention  briefly  two  conditions  of 
success  in  preaching  the  Gospel  to  Mohammedans. 

The  first  condition  of  success  is  a  good  estimation  of  the 
missionary  in  the  minds  of  those  to  whom  the  missionary  goes. 


62  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

It  is  well  known  that  when  a  missionary  goes  to  a  foreign 
country,  he  is  required  to  give  two  or  more  years  to  the 
study  of  the  language.  To  many  a  missionary  this  study  is 
a  great  burden,  and  yet  it  is  a  very  beneficent  arrangement. 
For  while  the  missionary  is  studying  the  language,  the  people 
are  studying  him.  The  first  thing  the  Mohammedans  observe 
when  a  missionary  goes  among  them  is  the  manner  in  which 
he  treats  his  wife.  When  they  see  that  he  treats  her,  not  as 
a  toy,  a  plaything,  a  drudge,  a  slave,  but  as  his  companion 
and  equal ;  when  they  see  that  his  wife  sits  at  table  with  him, 
that  the  missionary  and  his  wife  talk  together,  read  together, 
work  together,  walk  together,  the  wife  not  trudging  along 
at  a  distance  in  the  rear,  but  walking  side  by  side  with  her 
husband ;  when  they  see  that  she  is  mistress  of  her  home,  and 
not  only  bears  the  children,  but  also  trains  and  instructs 
them;  when,  in  short,  Mohammedans  see  a  real  Christian 
home,  they  have  gotten  their  first  lesson,  and  one  of  the  most 
important  lessons,  which  the  missionary  can  teach  them. 
Then  the  people  watch  the  missionary  to  see  how  he  trades, 
and  in  a  land  of  dicker  there  is  a  good  deal  of  character  shown 
in  trading.  Again,  the  people  watch  to  see  if  he  is  neighborly, 
whether  he  is  kind  to  the  poor,  whether  he  visits  and  relieves 
the  sick.  In  short,  in  two  or  more  years  the  people  have  made 
up  their  minds  in  regard  to  the  missionary,  and  if  they 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  is  a  good  man,  honest, 
truthful  and  benevolent,  then,  when  the  missionary's  tongue 
is  loosed  and  he  is  prepared  to  tell  the  people  the  story  of 
Jesus,  then  some  of  them,  at  least,  are  prepared  to  listen  to 
him.  I  repeat,  therefore,  that  a  good  estimation  of  the  mis- 
sionary is  the  first  condition  of  success  in  preaching  the  Gospel 
to  Mohammedans,  or  to  any  people. 

The  second  condition  of  success  is  a  loving  approach  to  the 
people.  Naught  but  love — the  love  of  God  to  men,  and  the 
love  of  the  Godlike  man  to  his  fellow-men — wins  souls  to 
Christ. 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED        63 

I  have  spoken  frankly  in  regard  to  the  famous  Arabian 
prophet  Mohammed,  and  have  tried  to  set  forth  his  character 
truthfully,  without  belittling  his  good  qualities  or  exagger- 
ating his  bad  qualities.  Yet  in  my  missionary  life  in  Turkey 
of  more  than  50  years,  never  once  have  I  said  to  Moham- 
medans, whether  in  private  conversation  or  in  public  preach- 
ing, what  I  have  written  above.  Never  once  have  I  denounced 
to  a  Turk  either  the  Mohammedan  prophet  or  the  Moham- 
medan Bible.  There  may  be  a  place  for  the  denunciation  of 
an  incorrigibly  wicked  man,  but  denunciation  never  wins. 
My  plan — and  the  plan  of  all  missionaries  whom  I  have 
known — has  been  to  hold  up  to  Mohammedans  the  life  and 
character  of  Jesus,  and  experience  has  shown  that  this  is  the 
successful  way.  Let  a  Mohammedan,  whoever  he  be,  come 
to  know,  recognize,  accept  and  follow  Jesus  Christ,  and  he  is 
thereby  delivered  from  his  errors  and  vices,  and  is  made  a 
new  man. 

A  CONVERTED  MOHAMMEDAN 

Let  me  illustrate  by  an  example.  In  February,  1894,  on 
the  last  hour  of  a  Sabbath  day,  according  to  custom  I  preached 
in  Turkish,  in  a  hall  in  Stamboul,  to  a  mixed  company  of 
Greeks,  Armenians,  Turks,  and  others.  After  the  service  I 
went  to  my  lodgings  to  spend  the  night.  In  the  evening  there 
was  a  knock  at  the  door.  On  opening  it,  I  saw  a  handsome 
young  Turk,  and  invited  him  in.  He  told  me  that  his  father 
was  a  commander  in  the  Turkish  army,  and  that,  some  years 
before,  his  father  had  sent  him  to  the  civil  school  established 
in  Constantinople.  He  said  that  he  had  completed  his  course 
and  had  been  received  as  a  clerk  in  one  of  the  departments  of 
the  government,  and  that  he  wished  to  learn  English.  I  re- 
plied that  I  would  gladly  teach  him  and  invited  him  to  meet 
me  on  Sunday  evenings.  He  cordially  accepted  the  invitation 
and  for  three  months  met  me  every  Sunday  night.  I  taught 
him  English  and  taught  him  also  the  story  of  Jesus.  Let 


64  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

me  say  that  in  the  Koran  Mohammedans  are  taught  that  the 
Pentateuch,  the  Psalms,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Gospel  are  all 
the  Word  of  God,  and  that  Jews  and  Christians  are  "Ehli 
Kitab" — Possessors  of  the  Book — and,  when  conquered,  are 
not  to  be  put  to  death,  in  case  they  submit  and  pay  a  certain 
tax.  Hence  Mohammedans  have  a  respect  for  the  Jewish 
and  Christian  Scriptures.  Opening  the  Turkish  version  of 
the  Bible,  I  called  the  young  man 's  attention  to  certain  proph- 
ecies touching  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  called  in  Arabic 
and  Turkish  ' '  Isa-el-Messih, "  Jesus  the  Christ,  whom  Mo- 
hammedans honor  as  the  only  man  who  ever  came  into  the 
world  without  a  human  father.  Sabbath  by  Sabbath  I  called 
the  young  man's  attention  to  the  story  of  Jesus'  birth,  his 
spotless  life,  his  beneficent  ministry,  his  miraculous  works, 
his  precious  teachings,  his  sacrificial  death,  his  resurrection, 
his  appearance  on  earth  for  40  days,  his  ascension,  and  to 
the  fact,  that  now,  clothed  with  all  power  in  heaven  and  on 
earth,  he  sits  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high. 

At  the  end  of  three  months,  I  asked  the  young  man  one 
evening,  if  he  would  not  like  to  kneel  with  me  and  offer 
prayer.  He  readily  assented,  and  in  a  very  simple,  unaffected 
manner,  asked  for  the  pardon  of  his  sins  and  acceptance  with 
God  in  the  name  of  Christ.  On  account  of  absence  from 
Mohammedan  prayers  he  was  suspected  by  the  authorities, 
and,  on  examination,  confessed  the  change  in  his  religious 
sentiments.  He  was  first  warned,  and  then  dismissed  from 
the  Turkish  service.  Twice  he  was  arrested  and  sent  into 
exile.  On  returning  from  his  second  exile,  he  was  afraid 
that  something  worse  might  befall  him,  and  so,  with  letters 
of  recommendation  from  American  friends,  he  came  to 
America  and  entered  college.  In  the  spring  vacation  of 
1895  he  was  invited  to  a  town  in  New  Hampshire  by  a  lady 
whom  he  had  known,  and  there  applied  to  the  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  to  be  received  as  a  member.  He  was 
examined  and  accepted.  At  that  time  I  was  in  Boston  and 


THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  MOHAMMED        65 

had  been  invited  by  the  pastor  of  the  same  church  to  give  an 
address  to  his  people,  and  so  it  happened  that  I  was  in  the 
place  when  my  Turkish  friend  was  to  be  received  to  church 
fellowship.  At  the  opening  of  the  service  I  was  requested 
by  the  pastor  to  address  a  few  words  in  Turkish  to  my  friend 
and  to  baptize  him.  I  should  have  baptized  him  with  his 
own  proper  name,  but  he  said  he  wished  to  be  baptized  with 
the  name  of  Paul.  I  asked  him,  "Why  Paul?"  He  replied 
that  he  thought  Paul  was  the  finest  character  in  the  New 
Testament  after  Christ.  Then  I  asked  him  what  surname  he 
chose,  and  he  replied  "Newman."  He  hoped  that  he  had 
become  a  new  man  in  Christ.  So  I  baptized  him  with  the 
name  ' '  Paul  Newman. ' ' 

In  the  spring  of  1898  he  was  without  means  to  continue  his 
studies,  and  being  in  New  York  when  President  McKinley 
called  for  volunteers  for  the  war  with  Spain,  he  enlisted  in 
a  cavalry  regiment.  He  was  sent  first  to  Cuba  and  after- 
wards to  the  Philippine  Islands.  In  those  Islands  he  showed 
such  capacity  and  worth  that  he  was  made  an  officer,  and 
during  the  past  14  years  he  has  been  entrusted  with  various 
important  commissions.  In  a  letter  written  a  few  months 
ago  he  expressed  great  pity  for  the  ignorant  people  about 
him,  and  said  that  as  he  had  learned  their  language  he  was 
sometimes  inclined  to  resign  his  commission  and  become  a 
preacher  of  the  Gospel  to  the  poor  natives.  Surely  it  is  only 
by  the  grace  of  God  that  this  man,  though  surrounded  by 
untoward  influences  and  with  slight  association  with  Chris- 
tian people,  has  kept  the  faith  and  shown  a  Christlike  spirit. 
Does  any  one  ask,  "Can  a  Turk  be  converted?"  Paul  New- 
man is  the  answer.  Thanks  to  God  that  there  are  not  a  few 
such  Turks,  and  by  the  grace  of  God  more  are  to  follow. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES 

THE  foregoing  chapters  tell  of  the  field  which  in  dire  need 
was  waiting  for  the  beginning  of  the  missionary  work.  Who, 
then,  in  the  providence  of  God,  were  called  to  cultivate  the 
field? 

They  were  the  missionaries  of  the  American  Board.  The 
first  American  missionaries  to  Turkey  were  Messrs.  Fisk  and 
Parsons,  who  arrived  at  Smyrna  January  15,  1820.  Messrs. 
Goodell  and  Bird  arrived  at  Beirut  November  16,  1823.  Rev. 
Jonas  King,  after  three  years  in  Syria,  came  to  Smyrna,  and 
thence  to  Constantinople  on  June  22,  1826,  just  one  week 
after  the  destruction  of  the  Janissaries.  Mr.  King's  visit 
was  short,  and  after  a  cursory  view  of  the  great  and  beautiful 
city  he  returned  to  Smyrna.  Rev.  Josiah  Brewer,  father  of 
the  late  Justice  Brewer  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
arrived  at  Constantinople  on  February  2,  1827/to  labor  for 
the  Jews.  He  was  welcomed  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hartley,  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  of  England,  but  after  seven 
months  they  both,  on  account  of  the  dangerous  political  situa- 
tion, retired  to  Greece.  It  is  noteworthy  that  before  the  with- 
drawal of  these  men  several  enlightened  Jews  had  professed 
themselves  Christians,  and  had  been  received  into  the  Ar- 
menian Church.  Rev.  Elnathan  Gridley,  who  came  with  Mr. 
Brewer  from  Boston,  went  with  his  Armenian  teacher  to 
Cesarea,  to  learn  Turkish  and  become  acquainted  with  the 
people.  In  1827,  Mr.  Gridley  died  of  malarial  fever,  and  was 
buried  at  the  foot  of  the  snow-clad  Mount  Arga3us,  which,  in 
a  weakened  state,  he  had  ventured  to  ascend.  Mr.  Brewer 
wrote  in  glowing  terms  of  the  ardor  and  ability  of  this  de- 


al 
§1 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  67 

voted  young  missionary.  On  April  20,  1830,  Messrs.  Eli 
Smith  and  H.  G.  0.  Dwight  arrived  at  Constantinople  on  their 
way  to  Asia  Minor  and  Persia,  and  on  their  return  from 
their  long  tour  again  reached  Constantinople  on  May  25,  1831. 
Such  were  the  brief  visits  made  to  Constantinople  before  its 
occupation  as  a  missionary  station. 

It  was  the  great  good  fortune  of  the  author  to  reach  Turkey 
when  nearly  all  of  the  early  missionaries  were  still  living,  and 
to  share  with  them  a  delightful  acquaintance  and  fellowship. 

The  early  missionaries  who  formed  the  Constantinople  sta- 
tion and  were  the  principal  agents  in  organizing  the  mis- 
sionary work  in  Turkey  were  Messrs.  William  Goodell,  H.  G. 
0.  Dwight,  William  G.  Schauffler,  Elias  Riggs,  Cyrus  Hamlin, 
and  George  W.  Wood.  To  these  should  be  added  Benjamin 
Schneider,  who  arrived  at  Constantinople  in  1834  and  shortly 
afterwards  settled  in  Brousa,  and  George  W.  Dunmore,  the 
pioneer  missionary  in  Eastern  Turkey.  Chosen  by  God  to 
lay  the  foundation  of  a  spiritual  work  in  Turkey,  they  were 
men  of  large  capacity,  rugged  common  sense,  of  great  cour- 
age, unconquerable  will,  and  supreme  devotion  to  their  Lord 
and  Master  Jesus  Christ.  Differing  widely  in  disposition  and 
aptitude,  in  a  remarkable  manner  they  supplemented  each 
other.  Born  of  poor  but  honorable  parents,  they  all  worked 
hard  to  secure  an  education  and  were  truly  self-made  men. 
No  better  stuff  for  pioneer  missionaries  could  have  been 
found. 

They  reached  Turkey  in  a  very  critical  period  of  its  his- 
tory. The  corps  of  Janissaries,  founded  by  order  of  Sultan 
Orkhan  in  1330,  had  domineered  over  both  rulers  and  people 
for  some  300  years,  and  had  at  last  been,  destroyed  by 
Sultan  Mahmoud  in  1826.  Torn  by  internal  dissensions, 
bled  by  official  corruption,  weakened  by  wars  with  Russia, 
the  country  was  now  struggling  to  release  itself  from  the  in- 
cubus of  misrule.  Agriculture  was  in  the  most  primitive  con- 
dition, trade  had  no  outlet,  the  roads  were  wretched  and  in- 


68  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

fested  by  robbers,  and  the  people  were  miserably  poor.  The 
Turks  had  been  greatly  alarmed  and  angered  by  the  suc- 
cessful rebellion  of  Greece,  by  the  destruction  of  the  Turkish 
fleet  at  Navarino,  and  by  the  victories  of  Mohammed  Ali,  the 
Turkish  governor  of  Egypt,  who  had  made  himself  the  inde- 
pendent ruler  of  the  province.  At  the  same  time  the  Chris- 
tians of  Turkey,  namely  the  Greeks,  the  Bulgarians,  the  Ar- 
menians and  the  Roman  Catholics,  numbering  about  12,000,- 
000  people,  were  tyrannized  over  both  in  their  religious  and 
civil  concerns  by  their  patriarchs  and  bishops  and  by  a  power- 
ful class  of  native  money-lenders  called  sarrafs.  There  was 
no  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and  no  reading  of  the  Bible  save 
in  the  churches  and  in  the  ancient  languages  which  the  people 
did  not  understand.  Religion  consisted  of  fasts  and  feasts, 
of  rites  and  ceremonies,  and  was  bereft  of  spiritual  power. 
Indeed,  in  some  qualities  Oriental  Christians  and  Moham- 
medan Turks  were  very  much  alike. 

Moreover,  during  the  first  few  years  after  the  missionaries 
reached  Constantinople  they  were  called  upon  to  save  them- 
selves, as  best  they  could,  from  the  cholera  and  the  plague, 
and  were  driven  once  and  again  with  serious  loss  from  post 
to  pillar  by  the  awful  conflagrations  which  swept  over  vast 
spaces  of  the  city.  Sketches  of  the  pioneer  missionaries  are 
here  given. 

WILLIAM  GOODELL 

It  was  fortunate  that  the  first  American  missionary  to 
settle  in  Constantinople  was  Rev.  William  Goodell.  He  was 
well  prepared  for  the  work.  His  heart  ever  welled  with 
gratitude  to  God  for  the  sound  religious  training  which  he 
received  from  a  godly  father  and  a  consecrated  mother. 
Inured  to  hard  work  when  a  boy,  taught  self-reliance  during 
his  course  of  study,  already  equipped  for  the  missionary 
service  by  a  knowledge  of  the  Turkish  language  and  of 
Oriental  customs  acquired  during  his  sojourn  of  nearly  eight 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  69 

years  in  Malta  and  Beirut,  with  the  spirit  of  heaven  in  his 
heart  and  the  language  of  heaven  on  his  tongue,  endowed 
with  suavity  of  manner,  sweetness  of  temper  and  a  delightful 
humor,  patient  and  courageous,  his  heart  burning  with  love 
to  God  and  man,  Mr.  Goodell  was  surely  the  ideal  missionary 
for  Constantinople,  where  with  his  brave-hearted  and  most 
worthy  wife  he  arrived  on  June  9,  1831.  Moreover,  he  came 
armed  with  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  in  the  shape  of  a  copy 
of  the  New  Testament  translated  into  Turkish  and  written 
with  Armenian  letters  for  Turkish-speaking  Armenians. 
This  translation  he  had  himself  made  with  the  aid  of  two 
able  and  learned  Armenian  ecclesiastics,  who  had  embraced 
evangelical  truth  in  Beirut.  He  made  repeated  revisions 
of  this  translation,  the  last  revision  having  been  completed 
in  1863.  This  Armeno-Turkish  translation  of  the  Bible,  be- 
loved by  the  common  people  for  its  simple  language,  was 
published  in  many  editions  and  for  40  years  had  an  ex- 
tensive sale.  On  the  day  of  the  completion  of  the  last 
revision  Dr.  Goodell  wrote  to  a  friend  as  follows:  "Thus 
have  I  been  permitted  by  the  goodness  of  God  to  dig  a  well 
in  this  distant  land  of  which  millions  may  drink,  or,  as  good 
brother  Temple  would  say,  to  throw  wide  open  the  12  gates 
of  the  New  Jerusalem  to  this  immense  population. ' ' 

Paul's  picture  of  love  personified  is  a  faithful  portraiture 
of  Dr.  Goodell.  No  wonder  that  he  was  highly  esteemed  by 
both  the  native  and  the  foreign  residents  of  Constantinople, 
and  that  on  his  departure  for  America  he  received  many 
testimonials  of  respect  and  love. 

From  beginning  to  end  Dr.  Goodell 's  quaint  and  happy 
humor  sweetened  the  life  of  his  fellow-missionaries  and  re- 
lieved many  an  embarrassing  situation.  Two  instances  will 
illustrate. 

After  Mr.  Schauffler  settled  in  Constantinople  in  1832,  the 
two  missionary  families  at  the  capital — Messrs.  Goodell  and 
Dwight — and  Mr.  Schauffler  occupied  for  a  year  a  large  house 


70  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

together.  They  had  some  things  in  common  and  got  on 
happily.  At  the  end  of  the  year  Mr.  Schauffler  said  to  Mr. 
Goodell,  "If  it  be  agreeable  to  Mrs.  Goodell  and  yourself 
and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dwight,  let  us  renew  the  lease  and 
together  occupy  the  house  another  year."  Mr.  Goodell  re- 
plied: "Brother  Schauffler,  let  us  not  tempt  the  Lord  too 
much. ' ' 

Two  years  before  his  death  Dr.  Goodell  attended  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Board  in  Chicago.  As  his  voice  was  not 
strong  enough  to  address  the  great  assembly,  he  sent  a  fare- 
well letter  to  Dr.  Mark  Hopkins,  President  of  the  Board. 
Before  this  letter  was  read  Dr.  Goodell  rose  on  the  platform 
and  said :  "In  1822  I  was  appointed  a  missionary  to  Jerusa- 
lem, but  for  various  reasons  never  arrived  at  my  destination, 
and  now  in  my  old  age  I  have  turned  my  face  toward  the 
New  Jerusalem  via  Chicago." 

Dr.  Goodell  was  born  in  Templeton,  Massachusetts,  in  1792 
and  died  in  Philadelphia  in  1867,  75  years  old.  A  very  in- 
teresting story  of  his  life  is  found  in  his  Memoirs,  entitled 
"Forty  Years  in  the  Turkish  Empire." 

H.  G.  0.  DWIGHT 

Rev.  H.  G.  0.  Dwight  was  a  good  second  to  Mr.  Goodell. 
A  man  well-born  and  well-brought  up,  of  a  fine  mind  excel- 
lently trained,  courteous  and  firm,  an  adept  in  dealing  with 
both  friends  and  foes,  a  man  of  affairs,  an  administrator,  a 
statesman,  a  friend  beloved,  Mr.  Dwight  was  most  admirably 
fitted  for  the  service  to  which  he  was  called.  In  the  long 
tour  which  he  made  with  Rev.  Eli  Smith  in  1830-31  he  had 
acquired  valuable  information.  Accompanied  by  his  devoted 
wife,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Constantinople  on  June  5, 
1832.  After  Lord  Byron,  he  was  known  as  the  second 
'.'Frank"  (European  or  American)  who  learned  the  Ar- 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  71 

menian  language.  A  good  preacher,  of  sound  judgment  and 
practical  wisdom,  he  acquired  commanding  influence  and 
took  the  lead  in  the  evangelical  work.  In  times  of  difficulty 
and  danger  his  counsel  was  specially  sought,  and  he  was  ever 
ready  both  to  succor  those  who  were  persecuted  and  to  give 
reply  to  the  enemies  of  the  Gospel.  Facile  with  his  pen,  he 
was  the  author  of  school  books  and  the  editor  of  the  first 
magazine  published  by  the  mission.  His  untimely  death  in 
a  railway  accident  in  Vermont  in  1862,  in  his  59th  year,  was 
a  great  loss  to  the  mission,  but  he  left  an  able  son,  Dr.  Henry 
0.  D wight,  and  a  most  devoted  daughter,  Mrs.  Edward 
Riggs,  to  carry  on  the  missionary  work  in  Turkey.  His 
book,  "Christianity  Revived  in  the  East,"  published  in  1850, 
and  republished  in  London  in  1854,  tells  a  thrilling  story  of 
the  rise  and  progress  of  missionary  work  in  Turkey  during 
the  first  20  years. 

WILLIAM  G.  SCHAUFFLEB 

Rev.  William  G.  Schauffler,  born  in  Stuttgart,  Germany, 
August  22,  1798,  was  early  in  life  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Odessa  in  Southern  Russia.  When  22  years  of  age,  through 
the  influence  of  an  enlightened  and  pious  Catholic  priest, 
he  was  led  to  consecrate  himself  to  Christ.  Desiring  to 
become  a  missionary,  by  a  gracious  providence  he  was  at 
length  enabled  to  reach  America,  and  when  28  years  of  age 
he  entered  Andover  Theological  Seminary.  By  reason  of  his 
Christian  spirit,  his  ability  in  speaking,  and  his  varied  ac- 
complishments he  won  the  high  esteem  of  his  teachers  and 
friends.  In  1831  he  was  appointed  a  missionary  of  the 
American  Board,  and,  after  spending  some  months  in  Paris 
in  the  study  of  Arabic  and  Turkish,  he  reached  Constanti- 
nople on  July  31,  1832.  In  1834  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Reynolds,  the  first  unmarried  lady  sent  out  as  a  mis- 


72  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

sionary  to  Turkey.  Miss  Reynolds,  supported  by  a  private 
society  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  had  come  to  Smyrna  to 
open  a  school  for  Greek  girls.  Mr.  Schauffler  was  a  Chris- 
tian gentleman,  a  genius  in  language  and  music,  a  brilliant 
conversationalist,  and  an  able  preacher  in  German,  English, 
Spanish,  and  Turkish.  Called  to  visit  Vienna  and  at  one 
time  to  remain  there  three  years  in  the  interest  of  his  publi- 
cation work,  both  there  and  in  other  -places  in  Europe  he 
preached  in  German  with  great  acceptance  and  power. 
Living  for  many  years  in  the  village  of  Bebek  on  the  Bos- 
phorus,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Schauffler  made  their  home  the  center 
of  attraction,  especially  on  Friday  evenings  when  Dr. 
Schauffler  and  his  sons,  the  father  playing  the  flute  and  each 
son  playing  a  different  instrument,  gave  a  musical  entertain- 
ment. For  many  years  Dr.  Schauffler  served,  without  pay, 
the  Bebek  evangelical  church,  attended  by  English  speaking 
people,  and  by  his  preaching  and  many  forms  of  kindly 
service  ministered  to  their  edification.  As  missionary  to  the 
Jews  his  great  work  was  an  improved  edition  of  the  Spanish 
version  of  the  Old  Testament,  printed  in  Hebrew  letters. 
After  the  Jewish  work  was  transferred  to  a  Scotch  society 
in  1855,  Dr.  Schauffler  became  a  missionary  to  the  Moslems, 
and  until  his  withdrawal  from  Constantinople  in  1874  his 
time  was  chiefly  given  to  the  translation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment and  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  into  the  Turkish 
language,  written  with  Arabic  letters.  He  died  January  26, 
1883,  leaving  four  sons  who  have  honored  their  father  and 
mother  by  their  eminent  service  in  the  cause  of  Christ  at 
home  and  abroad.  His  son,  Dr.  Henry  A.  Schauffler,  was 
for  years  an  efficient  missionary  of  the  American  Board  in 
Austria,  and  after,  on  account  of  the  protracted  illness  of 
his  wife,  he  returned  to  America  in  1881,  he  developed  an 
extensive  evangelistic  work  among  the  Bohemians  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  and  in  other  parts  of  America.  For  the  advance- 
ment of  this  work  he  established  a  school  in  Cleveland,  which 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  73 

was  called  the  Schauffler  Training  School  for  Young  Women. 
This  school  is  still  doing  an  admirable  work. 

The  autobiography  of  Dr.  Schauffler  was  published  in  1887. 

ELIAS  RIGGS 

Rev.  Elias  Riggs  has  the  distinction  of  having  served  the 
American  Board  for  a  longer  period  than  any  other  mis- 
sionary. Arriving  at  the  port  of  Athens,  Greece,  on  Janu- 
ary 27,  1832,  he  died  at  Constantinople  on  January  17,  1901. 
Thus  his  service  as  a  foreign  missionary  was  .69  years  lacking 
10  days.  Born  at  New  Providence,  New  Jersey,  November 
19,  1810,  he  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  his  91st  year. 
Dr.  Riggs  was  an  eminent  scholar.  When  four  years  old  he 
had  learned  to  read,  when  nine  he  began  the  study  of  Greek, 
and  when  thirteen,  the  study  of  Hebrew.  Entering  Amherst 
College  at  14,  besides  his  regular  studies  he  gave  attention 
to  Hebrew,  Chaldee,  Syriac,  and  Arabic.  When  20  years 
old  he  published  a  Chaldee  grammar,  which  for  many  years 
commanded  the  respect  of  scholars.  As  a  missionary  he  was 
master  of  Greek,  Armenian,  and  Bulgarian,  and  as  a  trans- 
lator he  was  an  authority  in  Hebrew,  Chaldee,  and  Syriac. 
He  had  also  a  usable  acquaintance  with  several  modern  lan- 
guages, including  Turkish  and  Arabic.  As  a  scholar  he  was 
to  the  last  degree  painstaking,  thorough  and  accurate,  and 
the  pronunciation  of  foreign  tongues  seemed  to  give  him  no 
difficulty.  Thus  he  was  preeminently  fitted  for  the  work  of 
his  life  as  a  translator  of  the  Bible.  Moreover,  he  was  fitted 
for  this  work  not  only  by  his  rare  scholarship,  but  also  by  his 
spiritual-mindedness.  God  was  to  him  an  ever-present 
reality,  Christ  was  to  him  a  Divine  Saviour,  the  center  of 
all  his  hopes,  and  the  Bible  was  the  very  message  of  his 
Heavenly  Father,  given  through  inspired  men.  To  him  the 
Bible  was  not  only  his  daily  study,  but  also  his  daily  food. 
His  heart  responded  with  infinite  love  and  gratitude  to  its 


74  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Gospel  message  and  to  its  spiritual  truths.  In  short,  his  own 
experience  of  divine  truth  gave  him  a  spiritual  discernment 
which  was  invaluable  to  an  expositor  and  translator.  Thus 
equipped  for  his  work  both  intellectually  and  spiritually, 
with  the  aid  of  able  native  scholars  Dr.  Riggs  prepared  ver- 
sions of  the  Bible  in  modern  Armenian  and  Bulgarian,  which 
both  commanded  the  respect  of  educated  men  and  were  easily 
understood  by  the  common  people.  Indeed,  he  is  said  by 
competent  native  scholars  to  have  laid,  to  a  large  extent,  the 
foundation  of  the  modern  Armenian  and  the  modern  Bul- 
garian languages.  He  was  also  a  member  of  a  large  com- 
mittee to  revise  the  several  Turkish  versions  of  the  Bible. 
This  committee  was  engaged  in  the  work  for  five  years 
(1873-78),  and  the  result  was  a  model  Turkish  version  for 
all  Turkish  speaking  people.  Dr.  Riggs  was  also  very  suc- 
cessful in  translating  into  Greek,  Turkish,  Armenian,  and 
Bulgarian  many  of  our  best  English  hymns.  More  than 
100  such  hymns  in  the  Armenian  hymn  book  and  478 
in  the  Bulgarian  hymn  book  bear  his  name  as  translator  or 
composer.  In  the  very  last  year  of  his  life  he  translated 
54  Bulgarian  hymns.  He  was  also  the  compiler  of  a  Bible 
dictionary  in  Armenian  and  in  Bulgarian.  The  great  charm 
of  this  dear  brother  was  his  modesty.  On  the  occasion  of 
the  golden  wedding  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Riggs  in  1882  the 
American  and  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Societies  pre- 
sented to  him  beautiful  copies  of  the  Bibles  which  he  had 
been  instrumental  in  giving  to  the  people  of  Turkey.  In  his 
reply  to  the  very  appreciative  addresses  made,  Dr.  Riggs  dis- 
claimed the  title  of  author  of  the  versions,  and  commended 
the  able  missionary  and  native  assistants  whom  God  had 
given  him.  During  his  service  in  Greece  for  six  years  and 
in  Smyrna  and  Constantinople  for  63  years  Dr.  Riggs  fre- 
quently preached  in  English  and  in  the  native  languages 
with  great  acceptance.  Frail  in  body  and  often  troubled 
by  a  cough,  he  prolonged  life  by  his  walk  with  God,  by  care 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  75 

in  eating  and  drinking,  by  regular  habits  and  daily  exercise 
in  the  open  air,  and  by  his  after-dinner  nap.  In  all  his 
missionary  life  he  made  but  one  visit  to  America,  where  he 
remained  two  years  (1856-8).  During  this  period  he  edited 
an  electrotyped  edition  of  the  Armenian  Bible,  and  gave 
instruction  in  Hebrew  and  in  Old  Testament  Exegesis  in 
Union  Theological  Seminary.  In  1858  he  was  invited  by 
the  Seminary  to  a  professorship  of  Hebrew  Literature,  which 
a  friend  of  the  Seminary  offered  to  endow  on  condition  that 
Dr.  Riggs  accept  the  invitation.  He  declined,  saying:  "I 
could  not  have  remained  in  New  York  without  doubts  as  to 
the  path  of  duty.  We  could  return  to  the  work  in  our 
mission  without  any  such  doubts."  For  55  years  he  was 
cheered  by  his  devoted  wife,  who  died  in  1887.  She  prepared 
a  valuable  series  of  "  Letters  to  Mothers  on  the  Training  and 
Instruction  of  their  Children,"  published  in  Greek,  Bul- 
garian, Armenian,  and  Turkish.  Two  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter and  10  grandchildren  have  been  appointed  to  mis- 
sionary work  in  Turkey,  and  one  son  has  been  a  theological 
professor  and  a  pastor  in  America.  Dr.  Riggs  had  his  full 
share  of  family  bereavements,  which  he  met  with  calmness 
and  resignation,  and  his  last  words,  written  on  a  bit  of  paper 
when  he  could  no  longer  speak,  were :  "I  shall  be  satisfied, 
when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness." 

In  1891  he  prepared  for  his  children  "Reminiscences"  of 
his  life,  which  was  printed,  but  not  published. 

CYRUS  HAMLIN 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamlin  reached  Constantinople  in  1839.  He 
was  sent  from  America  expressly  to  meet  the  pressing  de- 
mand for  better  education.  Until  in  1860  he  resigned 
from  the  American  Board  and  entered  on  the  work  of  Robert 
College,  his  missionary  ambition  was  to  establish  at  Bebek, 
on  the  Bosphorus,  a  collegiate  and  theological  school.  This 


76  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

was  the  first  missionary  educational  institution  of  a  high 
order  in  Turkey.  When  Mr.  Hamlin  proposed  to  open  a 
boarding  school  in  Bebek  many  prophesied  failure.  They 
said  that  on  account  of  the  opposition  of  their  clergy  the 
Armenians  would  not  dare  send  their  boys  to  the  school; 
that  the  people  were  too  poor  to  pay  tuition,  and  that  young 
men  of  different  nationalities  would  not  attend  the  same 
school.  To  all  these  discouraging  words  Mr.  Hamlin  replied : 
1  'Let  me  fail  trying  to  do  something  rather  than  sit  still  and 
do  nothing."  Memorable  words,  characteristic  of  the  man! 
In  all  his  long  life  in  many  and  varied  forms  of  work  he 
rarely,  if  ever,  failed  in  what  he  resolutely  set  his  hand  to  do. 
Bebek  Seminary  was  a  grand  success.  The  school  opened  in 
November,  1840,  with  but  three  pupils,  but  the  number  in- 
creased from  year  to  year  until  the  applications  exceeded  the 
accommodations.  The  school  gave  a  satisfactory  education 
in  the  native  languages,  in  English,  mathematics,  science, 
mental  and  moral  philosophy,  secular  and  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory, exegesis  and  Biblical  theology.  It  raised  the  educa- 
tional status  of  the  entire  Protestant  community,  and  sup- 
plied both  teachers  and  preachers.  These  preachers,  wher- 
ever sent,  at  once  commanded  a  respect  which  was  denied  to 
the  native  clergy,  and  in  private  and  public  discussion  their 
education  gave  them  a  distinct  vantage  ground.  This  was 
an  immense  gain  to  the  evangelical  cause.  Indeed  for  years 
Bebek  Seminary  was  a  beacon  light  which  drew  the  attention 
of  many  liberal-minded  men  of  every  nationality.  Turks  of 
high  position  were  fond  of  visiting  the  Seminary  to  witness 
the  scientific  experiments,  and  Mr.  Hamlin  had  the  honor 
to  give,  in  the  imperial  palace,  the  first  explanation  of  the 
magnetic  telegraph  to  his  Majesty  Abdul  Medjid  and  to  his 
ministers.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  Grand  Vizier 
inquired  of  Mr.  Brown,  the  American  dragoman,  whether 
Mr.  Hamlin  "was  one  of  those  American  missionaries  who 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  77 

were  turning  the  world  upside  down,"  and  added:  "He 
does  not  look  like  a  dangerous  man."  In  fact,  Mr.  Hamlin 
was  turning  the  Eastern  world  upside  down,  or,  rather,  right 
side  up,  and  was  a  dangerous  man  to  those  guilty  of  wrong 
doing,  to  those  who  defended  ecclesiastical  or  civil  oppression, 
and  to  those  who  taught  erroneous  doctrine.  Not  only  as 
a  school,  but  also  as  a  place  of  religious  inquiry  Bebek  Sem- 
inary held  a  unique  position.  Many  outsiders  attended  the 
religious  exercises  of  the  Seminary,  and  in  a  single  year  Mr. 
Hamlin  received  upwards  of  a  thousand  callers.  Amid  varied 
and  pressing  duties  he  also  found  time  for  the  preparation 
of  school  books  and  for  the  publication  of  replies  to  the  pub- 
lished attacks  of  the  Armenian  patriarchs  and  of  the  leader 
of  the  Jesuits. 

Dr.  Hamlin  was  a  man  of  medium  height,  slender  and 
wiry,  of  tough  muscle  and  great  endurance.  He  had  a  mag- 
nificent head,  with  an  eye,  sometimes  beaming  with  motherly 
tenderness,  and  sometimes  burning  with  the  fire  of  the 
angel  who  guarded  with  flaming  sword  the  Gate  of  Para- 
dise. He  was  generally  cool,  self-possessed,  of  quick  discern- 
ment, and  wise  in  his  management  of  men;  at  times,  also,  he 
was  quickly  angered,  and  when  roused  by  mean  conduct  or 
cruel  wrong  his  anger  was  terrible.  So  thought  the  Greek 
boatman  in  Bebek,  who,  when  drunk,  had  thrust  his  wife  into 
the  street  and  was  beating  her,  no  one  daring  to  interfere. 
Called  to  the  scene  by  his  little  daughter  Henrietta,  Mr. 
Hamlin  at  once  set  upon  the  fellow  and  gave  him  a  sound 
thrashing,  to  the  unbounded  satisfaction  of  the  neighbors. 
"It  was,"  says  Hamlin,  "because  every  fibre  of  my  frame 
was  full  of  infinite  wrath,  and  infinite  justice  was  on  my 
side  too."  His  anger,  however,  was  matched  by  his  tender- 
ness. Who  but  a  Hamlin  could  have  befriended  and  with 
great  pains  have  cared  for  and  cured  a  drunken,  blaspheming 
American  sailor,  dying  of  cholera  in  one  of  the  streets  of 


78  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Constantinople?  A  friend  of  the  poor  and  oppressed,  and 
a  terror  to  evil-doers,  Hamlin  was  both  "the  best  hated  and 
the  best  loved"  of  the  men  of  his  circle. 

He  was  a  man  of  magnificent  courage,  as  shown  when,  once 
and  again,  in  obedience  to  duty,  he  crossed  the  boisterous 
Bosphorus  in  a  frail  craft  in  the  face  of  a  stiff  south  wind; 
when  in  the  dreadful  scourge  of  cholera  in  1865,  with  men 
dying  at  the  rate  of  1,000  a  day,  he  entered  the  great  khans 
of  Constantinople  and  ministered  to  helpless  men  for  whom  no 
man  cared;  and  when,  before  submitting  himself  to  a  severe 
operation  for  tumor  in  a  Boston  hospital,  he  calmly  inhaled 
the  anaesthetic,  saying,  "Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep." 

His  moral  courage,  likewise,  was  manifested  when  he  faced 
the  Turks,  the  Jesuits  and  the  persecuting  ecclesiastics  to 
defend  his  darling  school.  When  Dr.  Hamlin,  of  whom  it 
was  said  that  he  was  "never  indisposed  to  take  risks,"  moved 
to  Bebek  and  opened  his  school,  the  Armenian  patriarch  was 
exerting  all  his  power  to  oppose  evangelical  inquiry  and  to 
compel  absolute  submission  to  himself.  Men  of  evangelical 
views  were  anathematized  in  the  cathedral  with  all  possible 
pomp  and  abuse ;  were  deprived  of  their  permits  to  labor  as 
tradesmen  and  artisans;  were  imprisoned  and  beaten  and 
sent  into  exile  to  places  400  miles  away.  It  was  a  time  of 
great  depression  and  terror.  Native  friends  dared  not  come 
to  Bebek,  and,  in  fact,  at  the  opening  of  the  school  only 
three  young  Armenians  ventured  to  apply  for  admittance. 
Great  was  the  skill  and  wonderful  the  courage  of  Dr.  Hamlin 
in  withstanding  the  persecutors  and  in  foiling  their  devices 
until,  after  the  lapse  of  half  a  dozen  years,  protection  was 
secured  through  the  English  ambassador.  Dr.  Hamlin  felt 
that  he  had  a  commission  from  God,  and  could  well  say: 
"We  must  attempt  great  things  or  accomplish  nothing." 

Dr.  Hamlin  was  a  man  of  great  neighborliness.  To  be 
neighborly  is  to  be  friendly,  and  friendliness  springs  from 
love  to  God  and  love  to  man,  To  show  to  one's  neighbors 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  79 

the  sweet  amenities  of  life,  to  do  little  acts  of  kindness,  to 
help  a  neighbor  over  a  hard  place  in  times  of  misfortune  and 
illness — this  is  to  win  confidence  and  esteem;  it  is  a  method 
of  preaching  the  Gospel  which  no  opposer  can  withstand. 
When  Dr.  Hamlin  went  to  Bebek  to  live,  the  people  looked 
upon  him  as  a  heretic,  as  a  man  possessed  of  the  devil,  who, 
in  the  expressive  language  of  the  East,  "ate  his  fast."  Dur- 
ing a  period  of  Lent  a  woman  who  had  lost  two  hens  came 
directly  to  Dr.  Hamlin 's  door  and  boldly  claimed  the  hens 
from  him.  He  denied  any  knowledge  of  the  hens,  but  she, 
unconvinced  and  unappeased,  declared  that  he  must  be  the 
thief,  because  besides  him  there  was  no  man  in  the  village 
who  ate  meat  during  Lent.  The  boys  of  the  street  stoned 
Dr.  Hamlin 's  house  and  broke  the  tiles  of  the  roof,  and  care 
had  to  be  taken  when  his  wife  and  children  ventured  out. 
The  poor  neighbors,  however,  soon  found  out  that  Dr.  Hamlin 
had  some  knowledge  of  medicine,  and,  when  ill,  began  to 
ask  his  aid.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  was  only  too  glad 
to  relieve  those  in  distress.  His  skill  and  graciousness 
worked  like  a  charm  on  the  hearts  of  the  people.  In  sick- 
ness most  of  the  poor  families  came  to  him  for  help,  and  he 
testifies,  "I  never  refused  to  answer  a  call  at  any  hour  of 
the  day  or  night."  In  fact,  with  a  few  simple  remedies, 
with  his  famous  cholera  medicine  in  times  of  that  dreadful 
scourge,  with  his  skill  in  teaching  the  people  to  prepare 
simple  food  for  the  sick,  with  his  injunctions  to  keep  clean  and 
to  be  temperate,  Dr.  Hamlin  soon  became  the  beloved  physi- 
cian of  the  village,  and  not  only  the  poor,  but  also  the  well- 
to-do  turned  to  him  in  distress.  The  English  families  in 
Bebek  also  welcomed  Dr.  Hamlin  in  times  of  affliction.  No 
wonder  then,  that  on  his  withdrawal  in  1873  his  English  and 
American  neighbors  presented  to  Dr.  Hamlin  an  address, 
beautifully  engrossed  on  vellum,  in  which  they  said:  "The 
kind  sympathy,  the  wise  counsel,  and  the  prompt  personal 
assistance  which  you  have  ever  manifested  to  the  inhabitants 


80  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

of  Bebek  of  every  nationality,  and  which  you  bestowed  upon 
ourselves  in  the  hour  of  distress  and  sorrow,  we  shall  ever 
gratefully  remember." 

Dr.  Hamlin  was  a  man  of  wonderful  resourcefulness.  The 
students  of  Bebek  Seminary  were  bright  and  capable  young 
men,  but,  almost  without  exception,  they  came  from  poor 
families.  They  were  ready  to  do  anything  to  help  them- 
selves, but  no  form  of  profitable  service  offered  in  the  village. 
To  pay  the  sum  required  for  board  and  tuition  taxed  their 
wits  to  the  utmost,  to  say  nothing  of  books  and  clothing.  Dr. 
Hamlin  was  distressed  and  ashamed  on  account  of  the  shabby 
appearance  of  many  of  the  students,  and  many  were  his 
devices  to  help  them.  Constantinople  is  a  city  of  temperate 
climate,  but  the  winters  are  damp  and  cold,  with  freezing 
weather  now  and  then,  but,  strange  to  say,  there  was  no 
method  for  heating  save  to  burn  charcoal  in  an  open  brazier. 
So  Dr.  Hamlin  fitted  up  a  workshop  in  the  basement  of  the 
Seminary  and  taught  his  pupils  to  make  sheet-iron  stoves  and 
stove-pipe.  Constantinople  was  a  rat-infested  city,  with  no 
satisfactory  devices  for  exterminating  the  pest.  Dr.  Hamlin 
taught  the  students  to  make  rat-traps.  Constantinople  ate 
nothing  but  leavened  bread,  which  was  sour  and  distasteful 
to  many  of  the  people,  especially  to  the  foreign  residents. 
Dr.  Hamlin  imported  a  grist-mill  with  a  steam  engine  to  run 
it,  and  set  up  a  bakery  for  providing  sweet  yeast  bread.  All 
these  devices  were  successful,  but  these  and  other  industries 
were  not  sanctioned  by  the  American  Board,  and  Dr.  Hamlin 
was  left  to  bear  the  entire  responsibility  and  expense.  No 
missionary  in  Turkey  but  Dr.  Hamlin,  and  no  man  save  one 
with  an  iron  will  and  a  genius  for  mechanics  and  invention, 
would  have  dared  undertake  such  works.  These  industries 
were  the  beginning  of  a  self-help  department,  which  is  now 
a  well  recognized  adjunct  of  many  missionary  high  schools 
and  colleges.  All  honor  to  the  pioneer  in  the  self-help  de- 
partment! All  honor  to  the  man,  who,  during  two  years  of 


11    i 


BEBEK    SEMINARY,    THE    FOEEEUNNEE    OF    EOBEET    COLLEGE 
The   white   building   at   the   right   was    Dr.    Greene's    home    1871    to    1884. 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  81 

the  Crimean  war,  thanks  to  his  previous  experience,  could 
supply  thousands  of  British  soldiers  in  Constantinople  with 
sweet  yeast  bread,  and  from  his  laundry  clean  linen,  and  with 
his  gains  could  help  build  13  houses  of  worship  for  the 
struggling  Protestant  communities  of  Turkey!  The  prime 
condition  of  missionary  success  in  any  land  is  genuine  love 
of  the  people.  Back  of  the  missionary's  teachings  is  his  life, 
and  even  the  heathen  judge  the  missionary,  not  by  what  he 
says,  but  by  what  he  does.  The  people  of  Turkey  never  had 
occasion  to  suspect  the  unselfish  motives  of  Dr.  Hamlin. 
They  recognized  his  infirmities  and  sometimes  smarted  from 
the  severity  of  his  speech,  but  they  knew  that  he  loved  them, 
and  they  responded  with  an  unwonted  measure  of  affection. 
They  esteemed  him  as  a  teacher,  and  admired  him  for  his 
wonderful  resourcefulness  and  ingenuity,  but  for  his  un- 
stinted love  and  unselfish  devotion  they  idolized  him. 

The  crowning  work  of  his  career  was  the  founding  of 
Robert  College,  but  this  theme  demands  a  presentation  by 
itself.  This  great  work  only  emphasized  the  qualities  shown 
in  his  20  years  of  labor  as  principal  of  Bebek  Seminary. 
His  outward  memorial  abides  in  the  noble  institution  standing 
on  the  lofty  bank  of  the  Bosphorus,  but  his  imperishable 
memorial  is  found  in  the  love  and  gratitude  of  men  enlight- 
ened and  saved  by  his  preaching,  his  teaching  and  his  Christ- 
like  life. 

It  was  a  happy  circumstance  that  on  August  7,  1900,  in 
his  89th  year,  Dr.  Hamlin  could  attend  a  family  reunion 
in  Portland,  Maine,  and  that  on  the  evening  of  the  fol- 
lowing day  he  was  able  to  speak  in  the  Second  Parish 
Church  at  the  celebration  of  the  Old  Home  Day.  Shortly 
after  he  reached  the  house  of  a  friend,  his  enfeebled  heart 
gave  way,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  had  exchanged  earth 
for  heaven.  0  happy  ending  of  a  long  and  fruitful  life! 
It  is  most  fitting  that  his  grave  at  Lexington,  Massachusetts, 
is  marked  by  a  beautiful  white  granite  stone,  erected  by  his 


82  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Armenian  friends  ' '  in  gratitude  for  his  enduring  and  devoted 
services  to  their  people."  Happy,  too,  is  the  motto  which 
those  Armenian  friends  had  inscribed  on  the  stone: 

"He  being  dead  yet  speaketh." 

BENJAMIN  SCHNEIDER 

Mr.  Schneider  was  born  at  New  Hanover,  Pennsylvania, 
January  18,  1807,  arrived  at  Smyrna,  January  19,  1834,  and 
died  at  Boston  September  14,  1877,  in  his  71st  year.  His 
missionary  life  of  43  years  was  passed  in  three  fields — Brousa, 
Aintab  and  Marsovan.  He  labored  in  Brousa  and  various 
places  of  the  province  of  Bithynia  from  1834  to  1848,  and 
from  1868  to  1872.  The  city  of  Brousa,  57  miles  south  of 
Constantinople,  lies  along  the  base  of  the  Bithynian  Olympus, 
which,  snow-capped,  rises  7,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Before 
the  city  there  extends  a  plain,  15  miles  by  five,  and  beyond 
the  plain  a  low  range  of  mountains,  separating  the  plain  from 
the  Sea  of  Marmora.  With  beautiful  views,  abounding 
water,  hot  mineral  springs,  fruit  trees  and  vineyards,  it  is 
a  delightful  place  of  residence.  The  principal  business  is  the 
raising  of  silk  worms  and  the  production  of  raw  silk.  Brousa 
— anciently  Prusa — was  the  place  whence  Pliny  the  younger, 
the  Roman  governor,  in  A.  D.  104  sent  to  Trajan  his  famous 
letter,  describing  the  Christians  of  the  place  as  "harmless 
people,  who  in  their  worship  sang  hymns  to  Christ  as  God." 
The  Turks  made  Brousa  their  capital  for  35  years  (1326-61) 
and  here  are  the  mausoleums  of  several  Sultans,  including 
Osman,  founder  of  the  Ottoman  dynasty. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Schneider's  arrival  the  city  contained 
60,000  inhabitants,  Turks,  Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Jews,  but 
the  population  has  largely  increased.  To  this  city  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Schneider  came  as  perfect  strangers.  At  once  they 
began  the  study  of  Turkish  and  Greek,  and  while  they  were 
studying  language  the  people  were  studying  them.  The  first 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  83 

lesson  the  missionaries  taught  was  the  lesson  of  a  Christian 
home,  where  love  and  peace  reigned,  where  the  wife  was  the 
equal  and  companion  of  her  husband,  the  mistress  of  the 
house,  who  not  only  bore  the  children,  but  also  taught  and 
trained  them.  The  people  soon  found  that  the  strangers 
were  neighborly  and  gentle,  truthful  and  honest,  kind  to  the 
poor,  and  helpful  to  the  sick.  Ere  long  the  missionaries  began 
to  converse  with  their  neighbors,  and  received  calls  from 
Greeks  and  Armenians  and  from  several  liberal-minded, 
Turks.  Mr.  Schneider  visited  the  native  schools,  and  sug- 
gested modern  methods  of  teaching.  The  Armenians  who 
spoke  Turkish  as  their  vernacular  were  glad  to  get  copies 
of  the  Bible  in  the  Turkish  language  written  with  Armenian 
letters,  and  not  a  few  Greeks  purchased  modern  Greek  Testa- 
ments. After  a  few  years  Mr.  Schneider  invited  neighbors 
and  acquaintances  to  a  simple  Bible  service  in  the  Turkish 
language  and  a  few  came.  He  also  distributed  by  sale  and 
by  gift  many  books  and  tracts,  some  of  which  passed  into 
the  hands  of  villagers  who  came  to  Brousa  for  interviews. 
From  time  to  time  Mr.  Schneider  visited  other  towns  and 
villages,  and  everywhere  found  a  kindly  welcome.  The 
hindrances  to  the  Gospel  work  were,  first,  ignorance,  few  men 
and  hardly  a  woman  knowing  how  to  read;  second,  an  un- 
enlightened conscience,  the  people  having  been  taught  to 
regard  as  sin,  not  the  violation  of  God's  law  and  moral  wrong, 
but  the  failure  to  observe  fasts  and  feasts  and  other  require- 
ments of  the  church ;  and,  third,  the  opposition  of  the  ecclesi- 
astics, who  feared  the  loss  of  their  authority  and  profits  in 
case  the  people  came  to  know  the  Bible.  In  fact,  such  were 
the  forms  of  intimidation  and  persecution  that  for  a  consider- 
able time  few  people  dared  to  visit  the  house  of  the  mission- 
ary. There  were,  however,  some  sincere  inquirers,  and  at- 
tendance on  the  religious  service  at  length  increased.  Visits 
to  the  more  distant  places,  especially  to  Nicomedia  and  Ada- 
bazar,  greatly  cheered  the  missionary.  It  was  wonderful  how 


84  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

knowledge  of  the  truth,  through  the  testimony  of  individuals, 
and  by  means  of  tracts  and  portions  of  the  Scriptures,  spread 
among  the  people.  The  Bible,  wherever  read  and  understood 
had  power  to  enlighten  and  persuade  men,  and  to  those  who 
really  sought  salvation  it  was  both  light  and  life.  Both  in  the 
city  of  Brousa  and  in  the  province,  Mr.  Schneider,  supported 
in  every  form  of  effort  by  his  devoted  wife,  for  15  years 
sowed  the  Gospel  seed,  and,  without  seeing  much  apparent 
fruit,  in  1849  removed  from  Brousa  to  Aintab,  in  the  Central 
Turkey  Mission.  The  precious  seed  sown  in  the  Brousa  field, 
was  not,  however,  lost,  and,  on  a  visit  to  Brousa  in  1866, 
Mr.  Schneider  reported  a  very  gratifying  change.  When  he 
left  Brousa  there  was  a  church  of  seven  members  which  he 
had  formed  in  1848,  but  when  after  17  years  he  returned, 
there  was  a  regularly  organized  Protestant  community  of 
160  souls,  a  church  of  50  members  and  a  Sunday  school  of 
150 ;  a  beautiful  chapel  had  been  erected,  and  the  day  school 
had  35  pupils;  in  short,  Protestantism  had  become  an  estab- 
lished fact.  Moreover,  in  eight  places  in  the  province  the 
Gospel  had  found  a  lodgment,  and  there  were  Protestant 
communities  numbering  over  200  persons,  with  45  church 
members,  "We  must  thank  God  and  take  courage,"  said 
Dr.  Schneider;  "nothing  is  more  certain  than  the  final 
triumph  of  this  cause. " 

Among  all  the  cities  of  Asia  Minor,  Aintab  was  early  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  most  hopeful  places  for  labor.  The  city 
is  600  miles  southeast  of  Constantinople.  The  population, 
chiefly  Turks  and  Armenians,  numbered  35,000.  The  Ar- 
menians formed  one-third  and  were  simple-minded,  kind- 
hearted,  and  religiously  disposed,  with  remarkable  reverence 
for  the  Bible.  Kev.  Azariah  Smith,  M.  D.,  after  four  years  in 
other  places,  in  1848  settled  in  Aintab.  The  displays  of 
divine  power  greatly  impressed  him,  and  there  he  wished  to 
live  and  die.  He  was  honored  as  a  preacher  and  greatly 
loved  as  a  physician.  To  the  inexpressible  grief  of  all  classes 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  85 

he  died  June  3,  1851.  Fourteen  hundred  people  followed  his 
remains  to  the  grave.  In  memory  of  this  devoted  man  the 
hospital  in  Aintab  bears  his  name. 

In  1848  Dr.  Schneider  visited  Aintab  and  saw  so  great  an 
opening  that  the  following  year  he  returned  with  his  family. 
There  he  labored  with  indefatigable  zeal  and  great  success 
for  17  years.  At  his  first  service  only  30  were  present ;  when 
he  left  Aintab  in  1866  the  average  attendance  was  1,000. 
When  he  arrived,  there  was  a  little  church  of  eight  members 
and  no  Sunday  school ;  when  he  left  there  were  two  churches 
with  373  members  and  Sunday  schools  with  over  1,000.  Both 
churches  were  self-supporting,  and  the  entire  expense  for 
seven  common  schools  and  one  high  school  was  paid  by  the 
people.  In  1868  the  Protestants  of  Aintab,  besides  meeting 
their  own  regular  expenses,  gave  $464.77  for  general  benevo- 
lence and  $911  towards  the  erection  of  the  second  church 
edifice.  All  this  was  done  in  a  community  where  a  common 
laborer  received  only  13  cents,  and  a  carpenter  32  cents  a  day. 
More  than  one-half  of  the  male  members  of  the  two  churches 
gave  a  tithe  of  their  earnings.  Many  church  members  went 
out  for  days,  and  some  for  weeks  at  a  time,  to  preach  in 
neighboring  towns.  During  Dr.  Schneider's  ministry  in 
Aintab  more  than  20  pastors  and  preachers  received  theo- 
logical instruction  and  were  employed  in  the  ministry,  and 
a  large  number  of  teachers  and  colporters  were  trained  for 
service.  When  he  came  to  Aintab  the  Protestants  were 
despised  and  persecuted;  when  he  left  they  had  been  recog- 
nized as  an  independent  Protestant  community.  Moreover, 
a  powerful  influence  had  been  exerted  on  the  body  of  the 
Gregorian  Armenians.  There  was  less  liquor  drinking  and 
a  better  observance  of  the  Sabbath.  There  was  an  increased 
demand  for  Biblical  instruction  in  the  Armenian  churches, 
the  attachment  of  many  to  the  old  rites  and  ceremonies  was 
weakened,  and  day  by  day  many  were  avowing  positive 
evangelical  views. 


86  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Connected  with  Aintab  were  several  outstations,  in  which 
five  churches  had  been  formed  with  120  members,  and  the 
average  attendance  was  375.  During  Dr.  Schneider's  minis- 
try in  Aintab  two  self-supporting  churches  had  been  formed 
in  Marash  with  508  members  and  a  Protestant  community  of 
1,720  souls;  five  common  schools  had  been  opened  with  240 
pupils  and  two  Sunday  schools  with  870  members.  In  Ourfa 
a  church  had  been  formed  with  61  members  and  a  congrega- 
tion of  500,  while  four  common  schools  had  115  pupils.  In 
the  outstations  of  Ourfa  there  were  two  churches  with  82 
members.  In  Adana  a  church  had  been  formed  with  33  mem- 
bers with  a  congregation  of  200;  also  in  Tarsus  a  church  of 
10  members.  All  these  churches  had  been  supplied  with 
native  pastors.  Moreover,  through  the  efforts  of  the  Aintab 
church  friends  of  the  Gospel  were  found  in  Killis,  Antioch, 
Bitias,  Kessab,  Diarbekir,  and  other  places.  No  wonder  that 
when  Dr.  Schneider  left  Aintab  in  1866,  it  was  hard  for  the 
noble  band  of  pastors  whom  he  had  trained,  and  for  the  mul- 
titude of  his  friends  to  let  him  go.  It  was  like  the  parting  of 
Paul  from  the  elders  of  the  church  of  Ephesus  (Acts  20: 
31-38). 

The  work  in  Aintab  has  continued  to  progress.  The  two 
churches  of  1866  have  become  three,  all  self-supporting,  and 
the  Protestant  community  has  increased  to  more  than  5,000 
souls.  In  1855  a  theological  seminary  was  opened,  which  in 
1864  was  transferred  to  Marash.  In  1860  a  Girls'  Boarding 
School  was  opened  under  Miss  Myra  A.  Proctor,  the  first 
of  such  institutions  in  the  interior  of  Turkey.  Central  Tur- 
key College,  opened  in  1876,  has  had  over  350  graduates,  and 
1,000  other  students.  The  Azariah  Smith  Hospital,  opened  in 
1882,  in  30  years  has  treated  more  than  100,000  patients.  In 
1888,  as  the  fruit  of  a  great  revival,  a  home  missionary 
society  was  formed,  and  has  labored  to  maintain  the  Gospel 
ministry  in  destitute  places  in  the  Central  Turkey  Mission. 
Thus  for  more  than  60  years  Aintab  has  been  a  stronghold 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  87 

for  the  evangelical  faith,  and,  taken  all  in  all,  has  been  the 
most  flourishing  missionary  station  in  Turkey.  Many  de- 
voted men,  natives,  and  missionaries,  have  labored  in  Central 
Turkey.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  Pastor  Kara  Krikor 
Haroutunian,  who  was  connected  with  the  First  Church  of 
Aintab  for  53  years  (1855-1908),  and  Professor  Alexander 
Bezjian,  well  called  the  strongest  man  among  the  evangelical 
Armenians,  who  had  part  in  the  theological  and  collegiate 
instruction  in  Aintab  for  57  years  (1856-1913).  Among  the 
missionaries  may  be  mentioned  Rev.  Philander  0.  Powers 
(1835-72),  Rev.  Homer  B.  Morgan  (1852-65),  Rev.  Andrew 
T.  Pratt,  M.  D.  (1852-72),  Rev.  George  H.  White  (1857-66), 
Rev.  Zenas  Goss  (1860-64),  Rev.  Giles  F.  Montgomery 
(1863-88),  Rev.  Henry  T.  Perry  (1867-75),  and  Rev.  Charles 
S.  Sanders  (1879-1906):  All  these  (not  to  mention  others 
who  are  still  living),  labored  with  eminent  ability,  zeal,  and 
success,  but  the  one  personality  who,  under  God,  gave  original 
force  and  direction  to  the  evangelical  work  in  the  Central 
Turkey  Mission  was  Dr.  Schneider. 

What  now  was  the  secret  of  his  power  ? 

First,  he  was  an  able  scholar.  Of  the  seven  great  pioneer 
missionaries  he  was  eminently  the  preacher,  speaking  with 
fluency  and  fervor  in  English,  German,  Greek,  and  Turkish. 
In  the  latter  language  his  correct  and  facile  utterance  and 
idiomatic  style  were  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  people. 
All  honor  to  the  foreign  missionary  whose  speech  can  scarcely 
be  distinguished  from  that  of  a  well-educated  native! 

Secondly,  Dr.  Schneider  ever  came  before  his  hearers  with 
a  message  from  God.  To  him  the  Bible,  from  Genesis  to 
Revelation,  was  God's  Word,  evidencing  its  divine  origin  at 
all  times  and  among  all  classes  by  its  power  to  enlighten, 
convince,  convict,  and  convert  men.  His  message  was  ever 
addressed  to  sinners  in  perishing  need  of  salvation,  and  Christ 
the  Divine  Saviour,  the  very  Son  of  God,  the  brightness  of 
the  Father's  glory  and  the  express  image  of  his  person,  was 


88  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

the  theme.  In  his  preaching  Dr.  Schneider  dwelt  upon  the 
significance  and  the  shortness  of  life,  the  great  and  solemn 
fact  of  death,  the  accountability  of  every  human  being  to 
God,  and  the  ,  fixedness  of  character.  He  emphasized  the 
necessity  of  conversion,  of  a  clear,  intelligent  and  whole- 
hearted surrender  to  Christ.  He  pointed  out  that  the  Chris- 
tian is  the  servant,  the  messenger,  and  the  witness  of  Christ, 
and  that  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  Christ  relies  on  the 
testimony  of  his-  disciples.  He  portrayed  the  joy  and  bless- 
edness of  a  spiritual  walk  with  God,  and  urged  the  need  of 
private  and  family  prayer,  of  daily  study  of  the  Bible,  of 
religious  instruction  of  children,  and  of  the  observance  of 
the  Sabbath  as  a  day  of  rest,  worship  and  Christian  service. 
Dr.  Schneider  taught  that  heaven  and  hell  were  great  realities, 
and  that  to  neglect  so  great  salvation,  involving  separation 
from  God  and  an  upbraiding  conscience — this  was  hell.  Such 
preaching  had  the  attestation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  was 
shown  by  its  fruits,  several  times  in  great  revivals,  to  be  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation. 

Thirdly,  Dr.  Schneider  was  a  delightful  friend  and  com- 
panion, genial,  humble,  modest,  courteous,  of  great  simplicity 
and  sincerity  of  character,  unselfish  and  generous,  prayerful 
and  devout,  a  lover  of  God  and  man.  Such  a  man's  preach- 
ing was  powerful  and  the  source  of  his  power  was  his  life; 
it  was  the  Christlike  man  behind  the  missionary.  Such  are 
the  men  whom  God  delights  to  honor  and  bless  in  their 
ministry. 

Dr.  Schneider  was  a  patriot  and  gave  his  two  sons  as  an 
offering  to  his  native  country.  Both  died  in  the  Civil  War; 
the  one — a  chaplain — at  25,  and  the  other,  only  18,  in  a 
charge  before  Petersburg. 

After  leaving  Aintab  Dr.  Schneider  again  labored  for  sev- 
eral years  in  his  old  field  of  Brousa,  and  for  two  years  taught 
at  Marsovan  seminary.  His  bodily  powers,  however,  were 


MRS.  W.  G.  SCHAUFFLER 
GEO.    W.    WOOD  HENRY   A.    SCHAUFFLER 


BENJ.   SCHNEIDER  MRS.    SCHNEIDER  W.    A.    FARNSWORTH 


EDWIN    E.    BLISS  "^^^^V  HENRY    S.    WEST,    M.    D. 

MRS.    E.    E.    BLISS 
EARLY  MISSIONARIES,  WESTERN  TURKEY 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  89 

failing,  and  after  a  visit  to  Switzerland  for  his  health,  he 
returned  to  the  United  States. 

Dr.  Schneider's  first  wife  died  in  1856,  and  his  second  wife, 
surviving  him,  labored  for  years  with  wisdom  and  efficiency 
for  the  Armenians  who  had  come  to  America  and  were 
living  in  Boston  and  vicinity.  She  was  greatly  beloved  by  all 
who  knew  her. 

GEORGE  W.  WOOD 

Dr.  Wood  was  born  at  Bradford,  Massachusetts,  February 
24,  1814,  and  died  at  Geneseo,  New  York,  July  17,  1901,  in 
his  88th  year.  He  served  the  American  Board  as  a  mission- 
ary two  years  at  Singapore  (1838-40)  and  23  years  in  Turkey, 
and  as  corresponding  secretary  at  New  York  for  19  years 
(1852-71).  For  the  secretaryship  he  was  admirably  fitted 
by  his  business  capacity,  his  ability  as  a  writer  and  speaker, 
his  missionary  experience,  and  his  courtesy  and  kindly  dispo- 
sition. It  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  secretary  at  New  York  to 
see  many  missionaries  sail,  and  to  welcome  others  back  from 
their  distant  fields,  not  a  few  of  them  invalids  or  widows  or 
the  children  of  missionaries.  It  counts  for  a  good  deal  when 
this  service  is  discharged  with  parental  sympathy  and  tender- 
ness. Dr.  Wood  endeared  himself  not  only  to  missionaries 
but  also  to  pastors  and  churches  at  home.  Well  informed, 
fully  sympathizing  with  home  as  well  as  with  foreign  mission- 
aries, with  ability  to  make  a  statement  of  the  missionary 
situation  at  once  attractive  and  forcible,  Dr.  Wood  performed 
a  service  as  secretary  which  was  highly  successful. 

During  his  first  period  in  Turkey  (1842-50),  Dr.  Wood 
was  the  associate  of  Dr.  Hamlin  in  Bebek  Seminary.  He  soon 
acquired  the  Armenian  language,  and  devoted  himself  to 
instruction  with  ardor  and  success.  For  the  first  few  years 
the  institution  was  simply  an  advanced  high  school,  but  in 
1847  a  theological  class  was  formed,  and  henceforth  the  train- 


90  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

ing  of  young  men  for  the  ministry  was  the  main  object  of 
Dr.  Wood.  He  assisted  in  Sabbath  preaching  and  gave  much 
time  to  interviews  with  people  who  came  to  Bebek  for  re- 
ligious conversation.  He  took  part  in  the  organization  of 
churches  in  Constantinople,  Nicomedia,  and  Adabazar,  and  in 
the  watch  and  care  of  these  and  other  churches.  He  prepared 
two  very  useful  books,  "The  Eule  of  Faith"  and  "The 
Bible  and  Church,"  and  supervised  the  translation  of  the 
"History  of  the  Reformation"  by  D'Aubigne. 

During  his  second  period  in  Turkey  (1871-86)  Dr.  Wood, 
while  engaged  in  the  evangelistic  work  of  Constantinople 
station,  was  the  counselor  of  the  ladies  in  charge  of  the 
"Home  School  for  Girls,"  and  for  15  years  rendered  highly 
appreciated  service. 

In  1884,  on  the  occasion  of  his  70th  birthday,  and  of  the 
46th  year  of  his  service  as  missionary  and  secretary,  Dr. 
Wood  said:  "With  fullest  sj^mpathy  with  pastors  and  all 
Christian  laborers  in  the  home  field,  and  regarding  the 
evangelization  of  our  own  country  as  of  the  greatest  neces- 
sity for  itself  and  the  world,  I  have  believed  that  the  world 
plan  of  the  Gospel  is  the  only  one  that  can  suffice  for 
America's  needs." 

On  account  of  the  infirmities  of  age  he  and  his  wife  re- 
turned to  America  in  1886.  The  following  year  a  service 
was  held  in  commemoration  of  the  50th  anniversary  of  his 
ordination.  On  this  occasion  Dr.  Wood  wrote  to  the  senior 
secretary  of  the  American  Board  as  follows:  "Deeply 
humbled  in  view  of  deficiencies,  I  feel  myself  under  an  obliga- 
tion of  gratitude,  which  is  inexpressible,  for  the  merciful 
kindness  that  has  continued  me  to  the  close  of  a  half  century 's 
experience  of  the  joy  of  a  service,  however  imperfect,  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry  carried  on  abroad  and  at  home.  Could 
I  renew  my  life,  my  wish  would  be  to  be  employed  in  the 
same  service,  but  with  a  deeper  consecration  and  an  ability 
for  greater  usefulness  therein." 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  91 

Dr.  Wood  and  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin  were  very  close  friends, 
and  a  few  months  before  Dr.  Wood's  death,  Dr.  Hamlin 
wrote  to  him  the  following  characteristic  letter:  "You  and 
I,  Brother  Wood,  fare  differently  in  the  great  public  world. 
You,  in  your  exceeding  modesty,  retire  from  public  view  to 
a  certain  extent.  Your  work  is  more  spiritual.  I  put  up  a 
steam  engine  or  make  a  rat  trap,  or  do  scores  of  material 
things.  People  read  and  say,  'Now  there's  a  fellow  who 
knows  how  to  do  something!  I  like  a  missionary  who  can 
make  a  rat  trap  and  set  the  lazy  fellows  to  work.'  So  I  get 
at  least  distinction  from  the  commonest  mechanical  work,  and 
you're  doing  a  higher  and  more  blessed  work,  known  only 
to  the  Master !  How  we  shall  change  places  at  the  Judgment 
Seat!  My  work  that  makes  a  noise  here  will  have  no  place 
there.  Only  if  I  have  done  anything  for  Christ's  little  ones 
he  will  remember  it,  although  I  shall  blush  to  have  him. 
I  am  thinking  a  great  deal  of  the  transition  which  must  be 
near.  When  humbled  with  thoughts  of  being  unfit  for  a 
holy  heaven,  I  find  relief  in  full  surrender." 

Dr.  Henry  0.  Dwight,  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Ameri- 
can Bible  Society,  who  was  born  in  Constantinople,  and  as  a 
missionary  there  for  many  years  was  associated  with  Dr. 
Wood,  shortly  after  his  death  in  1901  wrote:  "Dr.  Wood 
was  closely  connected  with  the  work  of  establishing  the  Home 
School  for  Girls.  Prejudice  and  suspicion  were  rife  at  that 
time  among  the  Armenian  clergy  respecting  the  mission  school 
enterprise.  Dr.  Wood's  experience,  his  knowledge  of  the 
people,  his  unfailing  courtesy,  and  a  certain  diplomatic 
quality  in  his  method  of  viewing  different  situations  made  his 
assistance  of  great  value  to  the  ladies  in  charge  during  those 
early  and  critical  years  of  the  school  As  one  result  of  the 
daily  conversations  of  that  difficult  period  Dr.  Wood  came 
into  courteous  relations  with  the  Armenian  clergy.  Patri- 
arch, bishops,  and  priests,  as  well  as  influential  Armenian  lay- 
men, came  to  know  him  as  a  friend.  Early  in  May  of  this 


92  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

year  he  wrote  me  a  kindly  letter,  in  which  he  spoke  as  one 
who  is  awaiting  a  summons  to  journey  to  a  better  land.  He 
let  his  thoughts  go  back  to  his  missionary  career,  recalling 
the  circumstance  that  he  was  the  sole  survivor  of  the  band  of 
missionaries  who  worked  in  Turkey  during  the  first  half  of 
the  century.  The  letter  was  a  delightful  view  of  the  con- 
tented faith  of  the  child  of  God.  He  was  waiting  and  was 
content  to  wait.  But  now  his  summons  has  come  and  he 
has  gone  home." 

Such  were  the  men  who  were  called  of  God  to  be  pioneers 
in  the  effort  to  introduce  evangelical  Christianity  among  the 
people  of  Turkey.  The  average  age  of  these  seven  pioneers 
was  nearly  80,  and  the  average  period  of  their  missionary 
service  was  over  40  years.  Whether  as  regards  their  ability 
and  character  and  the  fruit  of  their  ministry  or  as  regards 
the  length  of  their  service  they  were  truly  great  men. 

GEORGE  W.  DUNMORE 

Mr.  Dunmore  entered  on  the  work  in  Turkey  later  than 
the  missionaries  whose  sketches  have  been  given,  but  he  was 
really  the  pioneer  missionary  in  many  places  in  Eastern 
Turkey.  Born  at  Rush,  Pennsylvania,  in  1820,  he  was 
graduated  from  New  York  University  and  Bangor  Theologi- 
cal Seminary.  He  was  ordained  in  1850,  married  the  same 
year  to  Miss  Susan  Wheeler,  of  Brewer,  Maine,  and  arrived 
at  Smyrna,  February  2,  1851.  After  a  few  months  at  Aintab, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dunmore  reached  Diarbekir,  November  14, 
1851.  Diarbekir  is  an  ancient  walled  city  on  the  Tigris,  970 
miles  southeast  of  Constantinople,  and,  at  the  time  of  the 
arrival  of  the  first  missionaries,  contained  40,000  people, 
more  than  half  of  whom  were  Turks,  and  the  remainder  Ar- 
menians, Chaldeans,  Catholics,  and  Greeks.  At  that  time  in 
all  Eastern  Turkey  there  was  little  knowledge  of  the  Bible 
or  of  spiritual  religion;  superstition,  prejudice,  and  hostility 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  93 

ruled  the  hour.  The  beloved  physician,  Dr.  Azariah  Smith, 
had  visited  the  place,  and  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Dunmore's  ar- 
rival there  was  a  little  band  of  30  Protestants  and  a  native 
preacher.  Here  Mr.  Dunmore  acquired  the  Turkish  lan- 
guage, and,  in  spite  of  the  combined  efforts  of  the  Armenian 
ecclesiastics  and  corrupt  Turkish  officials,  he  saw  the  forma- 
tion of  an  evangelical  church  of  11  members  with  a  congre- 
gation of  200  adults,  and  the  beginning  of  religious  inquiry 
in  several  villages  and  towns. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Augustus  Walker  joined  the  station  in  1853, 
and  the  following  year  the  work  in  the  city  and  province 
was  committed  to  their  hands.  As  a  continuation  of  the  work 
which  Mr.  Dunmore  had  inaugurated,  let  it  be  added  that 
in  the  course  of  13  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  saw  the  build- 
ing up  of  a  strong  church  under  an  able  pastor,  a  pupil  of 
Dr.  Hamlin,  the  Rev.  Tomas  Boyajian,  with  a  membership 
of  100,  with  two  preaching  places  in  the  city,  and  another 
church  of  19  members  at  Kutturbul,  across  the  Tigris.  In 
fact  the  missionaries  had  made  a  profound  impression  on  the 
whole  city,  had  won  the  battle  for  religious  toleration  and 
had  vindicated  the  dignity  and  honor  of  the  Protestant  name. 
When  Mr.  Walker  died  of  cholera  in  1866  it  was  reported 
that  "Diarbekir  was  filled  with  mourning.  Not  Protestants 
alone,  but  Moslems  and  Armenians,  all  were  stricken.  Such 
a  funeral  was  never  witnessed  before." 

Diarbekir  is  the  city  where  in  1852  missionaries  had  been 
mobbed  and  beaten  in  the  street,  where,  however,  in  1909  Dr. 
Edwin  St.  John  Ward  laid  the  foundation  of  the  hospital, 
to  be  built  and  maintained  with  money  given  to  the  Ameri- 
can Board  by  Mr.  Sahagian,  a  native  Protestant  Armenian 
of  Diarbekir,  who  had  become  a  prosperous  business  man  in 
Yonkers,  New  York,  and  where  in  1911  a  Protestant  Ar- 
menian Christian  was  chosen  mayor. 

After  her  husband's  death,  Mrs.  Walker  returned  to  her 
home  in  Auburndale,  Massachusetts,  with  four  children,  and 


94  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

in  1870  established  the  Missionary  Home.  Here  in  the  course 
of  37  years  she  mothered  281  missionary  children  and  wel- 
comed to  her  home  205  weary  missionaries  on  furlough. 

In  1855  Mr.  Dunmore  was  obliged  for  his  wife's  sake  to 
seek  a  cooler  climate,  and  by  request  of  the  mission  they 
occupied  Harpout  as  a  station.  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Dun- 
more 's  arrival,  in  the  city  of  Harpout  and  on  the  plain  there 
were  more  than  100,000  Armenians,  and  even  a  larger  number 
of  Turks.  For  four  years  Mr.  Dunmore  traveled  almost  inces- 
santly over  the  Harpout  field,  meeting  great  success.  In  the 
absence  of  other  helpers  he  sent  out  a  dozen  lay  preachers,  to 
whom  he  had  given  such  Biblical  instruction  as  was  possible 
under  the  circumstances.  In  1856  an  evangelical  church  of 
10  members  was  formed  in  Harpout,  and  the  following  year 
Mr.  Dunmore  wrote  that  40  more  men  were  needed  as  teach- 
ers and  preachers.  In  18.57  Mrs.  Dunmore  returned  to 
America,  and  the  same  year  Messrs.  C.  H.  Wheeler  and  0.  P. 
Allen  joined  the  station.  To  these  brethren,  in  1858,  Mr. 
Dunmore  turned  over  the  promising  Harpout  field,  and,  ac- 
companied part  of  the  time  by  Mr.  T.  C.  Trowbridge,  he 
devoted  a  year  to  the  Protestant  communities  in  Erzroum, 
Bitlis,  Van,  and  Oroumiah.  Mr.  Dunmore  reported  that  in 
this  one  year  he  traveled,  mostly  on  horseback  and  amid  great 
hardships  and  danger,  over  6,000  miles.  In  1860  Mr.  Dun- 
more  came  to  Constantinople  and  for  a  year  labored  for  the 
floating  Armenian  population  of  the  city  and  in  the  out- 
stations.  In  May,  1861,  he  made  an  extended  tour  with  the 
author  through  the  ancient  provinces  of  Bithynia  and  Gala- 
tia,  a  journey  which  gave  evidence  of  his  ability  both  to 
deal  with  robbers  and  to  preach  the  Gospel.  A  pioneer  by 
nature,  he  was  sometimes  rough  in  manner  and  always  brave 
to  a  fault,  counting  as  nothing  any  possible  sacrifice  for 
Christ.  As  there  was  no  expectation  of  his  wife's  return  to 
Turkey,  in  1861  Mr.  Dunmore  offered  his  resignation  to  the 
Board.  Returning  to  America,  Mr.  Dunmore,  in  March,  1862, 


THE  PIONEER  MISSIONARIES  95 

was  chosen  chaplain  of  the  First  regiment  of  Wisconsin 
cavalry,  and  with  patriotic  ardor  entered  on  the  conflict  for 
his  country.  At  sunrise  011  August  third,  the  camp  was 
surprised  by  a  body  of  Texan  horsemen  near  Helena,  Ar- 
kansas, and  Mr.  Dunmore,  rushing  from  his  tent,  was  hit  by 
a  bullet  in  his  forehead  and  fell  dead.  Major  Pomeroy,  in 
his  report  of  Mr.  Dunmore 's  death,  said  that  no  regiment  in 
the  service  had  a  chaplain  who  worked  harder  or  more  faith- 
fully for  the  well-being  of  the  soldier,  and  no  chaplain  could 
be  more  esteemed  by  all,  from  private  to  field  officer.  Though 
cut  off  in  his  prime,  both  as  missionary  and  soldier  he  had 
fought  a  good  fight  and  kept  the  faith,  and  his  memory  is 
lovingly  cherished  by  all  who  knew  him.  • 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  ATTITUDE   OF  THE   PIONEER  MISSIONARIES 
TOWARDS  THE  ORIENTAL  CHURCHES 

AT  the  beginning  of  the  missionary  work  in  Turkey  the 
Oriental  Churches  were,  first,  the  Greek  Catholic  Church 
which  included,  not  only  the  Greek  subjects  of  Turkey,  bu1 
also  Bulgarians,  Servians,  Bosnians,  Montenegrins,  and  Al 
banians,  in  all  about  9,000,000 ;  secondly,  the  Armenians,  num 
bering  some  3,000,000,  and,  thirdly,  the  Roman  Catholics 
numbering  perhaps  1,000,000.  The  Greeks  were,  for  th( 
most  part,  the  descendants  of  the  early  Greeks  to  whom  the 
apostles  preached,  and  the  Slavs  of  the  Balkan  peninsula 
all  of  whom  were  counted  members  of  the  Greek  Church 
embraced  Christianity  1,000  years  ago.  The  Armenians  em 
braced  Christianity  1,600  years  ago,  and  the  Roman  Catho 
lies  of  various  nationalities,  were  converts  of  the  Catholi< 
Church. 

It  was  a  happy  circumstance  that  on  some  important  point! 
there  was  harmony  of  view  between  the  missionaries  and  th< 
members  of  the  Oriental  Churches.  Both  parties  held  sub 
stantially  the  same  conception  of  God,  as  the  almighty,  all 
wise  and  all-gracious  Heavenly  Father.  Both  held  substan 
tially  the  same  conception  of  Christ,  as  the  Divine  Saviour 
the  very  Son  of  God,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  attesting  hi) 
divine  commission  by  the  miracles  he  wrought,  offering  him 
self  on  the  cross  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  rising  from  the  dead 
ascending  on  high,  and  clothed  with  all  power.  Both  parties 
accepted  the  Bible,  the  whole  Bible,  as  the  inspired  Word  o: 
God.  With  the  Oriental  Christians  this  was  a  traditiona 

96 


DRESS  OF  AN  ARMENIAN  MOUNTAINEER,  VAN 


ATTITUDE  OF  THE  MISSIONAKIES  97 

inheritance,  a  belief  without  examination,  without  question- 
ing. Such  a  belief  was  deficient  in  spiritual  power,  but, 
however  deficient,  it  saved  the  Oriental  Christians  from  being 
submerged  by  the  Mohammedan  deluge;  indeed,  many  of 
these  Christians  accepted  martyrdom  rather  than  deny  their 
faith  in  Christ.  Their  faith  in  God,  in  Christ,  and  in  the 
Bible  was  right,  but  it  was  overlaid  by  erroneous  doctrines, 
which  in  the  course  of  ages  had  crept  in.  The  object  of  the 
missionaries,  then,  was  to  bring  to  the  Oriental  Christians 
the  light  of  the  Gospel,  and  so  help  them  to  apprehend  the 
real  significance  of  what  they  professed  to  believe.  The  real 
point  of  difference  between  the  Oriental  Christians  and  the 
missionaries  was  in  regard  to  the  way  of  salvation.  The 
vital  question  was:  "What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  The 
Oriental  Christian  replied,  I  am  saved  by  the  sacraments  of 
the  Church  administered  by  the  clergy.  I  am  saved,  not  by 
what  I  do,  but  by  what  the  priest  does  for  me.  I  have  within 
me  the  taint  of  original  sin;  by  the  rite  of  baptism  this  is 
washed  away.  I  am  guilty  of  venial  sin;  by  the  sacrament 
of  the  holy  communion  and  the  ever-fresh  sacrifice  of  the 
Mass  my  sins  are  forgiven.  If  in  this  forgiveness  there  be 
anything  lacking,  prayers  for  the  dead  will  suffice  to  deliver 
my  soul.  To  the  Oriental  Christian  the  missionary  replied, 
Your  method  of  salvation  is  not  the  Gospel  method.  The 
Bible  teaches  that  the  sacraments  are  symbols  or  tokens,  but 
never  that  they  have  saving  power.  Baptism  is  the  symbol 
of  repentance  and  consecration  to  Christ,  and  the  holy  com- 
munion is  a  memorial  of  love  and  devotion  to  Christ.  When 
the  jailer  of  Philippi  asked  Paul,  "What  must  I  do  to  be 
saved?"  the  reply  was,  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Again  the  apostle  said,  "Work 
out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  for  it  is 
God  which  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do."  We  are 
saved  by  conversion,  by  a  free,  intelligent  turning  to  God, 
accomplished  by  the  enlightening  of  the  mind  and  by  the 


98  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  will.  Thus  we  become  new 
creatures  in  Christ,  and  begin  to  walk  with  God.  This  is 
spiritual  living,  our  "reasonable,"  that  is  our  rational,  ser- 
vice. In  short,  we  are  saved,  not  by  what  the  priest,  or  any 
servant  of  God,  can  do  for  us,  but  by  what,  with  the  help  of 
God,  we  ourselves  do  for  ourselves.  As  our  sinning  is  our 
own  act,  so  also  must  be  our  repenting,  believing  and  obeying. 
Such  is  the  way  to  be  saved,  according  to  the  Scriptures,  and 
the  missionaries  crossed  the  seas  to  preach  the  good  news 
of  salvation  through  repentance  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  The  missionaries  came  to  introduce  this  Gospel 
leaven,  and  hoped  that  by  the  power  of  God  spiritual  life 
might  be  revived  among  the  Oriental  Christians.  It  was  in 
these  lands  that  this  gospel  was  first  preached  by  Christ 
himself  and  his  disciples,  and  in  the  course  of  300  years,  in 
spite  of  10  bloody  persecutions,  the  preaching  of  this  gospel, 
witnessed  to  by  a  multitude  of  martyrs,  bore  fruit  in  millions 
of  converted  men.  The  trouble  was  that  in  the  course  of  cen- 
turies the  languages  of  all  the  Oriental  peoples  became  more 
or  less  changed,  the  original  Scriptures  and  the  translations 
of  the  same  were  no  longer  understood,  ecclesiastical  authority 
grew  apace,  the  personal  responsibility  of  the  laity  for  their 
salvation  was  ignored,  the  "cure  of  souls"  became  a  clerical 
function,  pictures  and  images  were  substituted  for  spiritual 
instruction,  the  tender,  loving,  ever-present  Saviour  was  re- 
mitted to  the  back-ground,  and  recourse  was  had  to  the  media- 
tion and  intercession  of  the  Virgin  Mary  and  of  saints.  Thus 
Christ's  method  of  salvation  was  superseded  by  human  in- 
ventions, and  the  Christian  system  was  revolutionized.  The 
result  was  the  slavish  subjection  of  the  people  to  ecclesiastical 
authority,  the  deadening  of  conscience,  lax  morality  and  the 
loss  of  spiritual  life.  They  who  were  not  called  upon  to 
work  out  their  own  salvation  felt  no  responsibility  for  the 
salvation  of  other  men,  especially  of  those  who  were  esteemed 
their  enemies.  Hence  there  is  no  evidence  at  hand  that 


ATTITUDE  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES  99 

during  the  period  of  a  thousand  years  the  Christians  of  Asia 
Minor  ever  converted  a  Turk. 

Such  was  the  situation,  when  the  missionaries  first  reached 
the  land.  Now,  how  should  the  missionaries  address  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel  to  those  who 
already  esteemed  themselves  Christians  and  prided  them- 
selves on  their  orthodoxy?  First,  the  missionaries  were  glad 
to  recognize  everything  good,  whether  in  doctrine  or  life, 
which  they  found.  They  rejoiced  in  points  of  harmony  and 
union.  They  did  not  go  to  Turkey  to  denounce  ecclesiastical 
authority  or  to  inveigh  against  erroneous  doctrines  or  un- 
scriptural  practices,  but  sincerely  desired  to  build  up  the 
Oriental  Churches  and  strengthen  them  in  the  Christian 
faith.  In  the  instructions  given  by  the  Prudential  Com- 
mittee to  the  Rev.  Cyrus  Hamlin  on  the  occasion  of  his  de- 
parture for  Turkey  in  1839,  it  was  said:  "The  object  of 
our  missions  to  the  Oriental  Churches  is,  first,  to  revive  the 
knowledge  and  spirit  of  the  Gospel  among  them,  and,  secondly, 
by  this  means  to  operate  upon  the  Mohammedans.  These 
Churches  must  be  reformed.  The  fire  of  a  pure  Christianity 
must  be  rekindled  upon  those  Christian  altars.  In  all  the 
professedly  Christian  communities  of  western  Asia  there  must 
be  living  examples  of  the  holy,  happy  influence  of  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus.  The  Oriental  Churches  need  assistance  from 
their  brethren  abroad.  Our  object  is  not  to  subvert  them; 
not  to  pull  down,  and  build  up  anew.  You  are  not  sent 
among  those  Churches  to  proselyte.  Let  the  Armenian  re- 
main an  Armenian,  if  he  will,  the  Greek  a  Greek,  the  Nes- 
torian  a  Nestorian,  the  Oriental  an  Oriental.  It  is  not  the 
rites,  ceremonies,  and  superstitions  of  those  people  that  you, 
a  foreigner  and  stranger,  can  attack  to  the  best  advantage; 
these  will  be  corrected  as  a  thing  of  course  when  your  main 
work  is  accomplished.  Your  great  business  is  with  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  and  duties  of  the  Gospel.  The  work  will 
be  mainly  carried  on  and  accomplished  by  the  already  exist- 


100  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

ing  and  increasing  body  of  evangelical  native  Christians." 
These  instructions  indicate  the  sentiment  of  the  early  mis- 
sionaries; and  such  are  the  sentiments  of  the  missionaries 
now  laboring  in  Turkey.  To  carry  out  these  instructions  the 
first  duty  of  the  missionaries  was  to  give  the  Bible  to  the 
peoples  of  Turkey. 

THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  VERNACULAR  LANGUAGES 

The  first  endeavor  of  all  Protestant  missionaries  has  been 
to  give  the  Bible  to  the  people.  To  do  this  the  missionaries 
in  the  Islands  of  the  Pacific  and  in  Africa  have  reduced  the 
languages  of  many  savage  tribes  to  writing,  and  with  infinite 
toil  and  patience  have  prepared  grammars  and  dictionaries 
of  these  hitherto  unwritten  and  unknown  tongues.  The 
translation  of  the  Bible  for  Arabic  speaking  people,  for  the 
different  nations  of  India,  for  the  Chinese,  Japanese  and 
other  non-Christian  peoples,  has  demanded  the  highest  schol- 
arship, the  wisest  judgment,  the  indefatigable  labor,  and  the 
utmost  patience  of  the  ablest,  wisest,  most  spiritually-minded 
men  to  be  found.  It  was  most  fortunate  that  among  the 
early  missionaries  to  Turkey  were  found  three  such  men  as 
Goodell,  Schauffler,  and  Kiggs,  whose  eminent  qualifications 
for  the  work  have  been  set  forth  in  the  preceding  bio- 
graphical sketches.  For  each  of  these  men  Bible  translation 
was  the  monumental  work  of  life.  Their  work,  whether  in 
Turkish,  in  Hebrew-Spanish,  in  modern  Armenian  or  in 
modern  Bulgarian  has  stood  the  test  of  time.  The  hierarchies 
of  all  the  Oriental  Churches  at  first  denounced  the  modern 
versions  of  the  Bible,  and  by  their  command  many  copies  of 
these  Scriptures  were  gathered  and  burned;  but  the  common 
people  received  the  new  translations  gladly,  and  gradually 
the  denunciations  ceased,  save  among  Roman  Catholics.  At 
the  present  time  clergymen  and  scholars  among  the  Armeni- 
ans, Bulgarians  and  Greeks  acknowledge  that  the  new  ver- 


JOHN  III.  16. 


ARABIC. 


ARMENIAN  (Modern). 
nn 


u  ftp  by    ui^uui^^   JJili^L.    np  ftp 
{]fjtj.ffb      MftnLU/L  .      np 


BULGARIAN. 
Bort  TOjIKOSb  B:B3jIK)6H  CBtTl- 

TB,  moio  4346  Cbina  OBoero  e4HHOp04Ha- 

TURKISH   (Arabic). 


TURKISH   (Greek) 

Ztpa  A\\a^  T&vywyi})  TTOV  ftarap  a 
Kt,  Kevrl  TTipirgLtc  'Oy\ovvoit  fieprl,  TCLKL 
ovh,  ivavav,  %ai  oXfiayta,  i\\a  eirirt, 

lie  o\d. 

TURKISH   (Armenian). 


(Spanish  Jews 
SPANISH   (Hebrew).       in  Turkey.) 


bsf>  mo  ^p  oito  nf'bf'jin  ipfr  ID 

07^3   OJ^O   V  ID^D   0")7"D^7  SD'  13 


LANGUAGES  OF  TURKEY 

Into  which  the  Bible  has  been  translated  by  American  missionaries. 

101 


102  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

sions  are  a  faithful  reproduction  of  the  original  Scriptures, 
and  that  at  the  same  time  they  have  been  an  invaluable  help 
in  the  formation  of  the  modern  style  of  language;  indeed, 
among  the  Oriental  clergy  few  men,  if  any,  are  now  found 
to  denounce  the  modern  versions.  More  than  4,000,000  cop- 
ies of  the  modern  Scriptures,  including  the  Arabic  Bible,  have 
been  sold,  mostly  to  non-Protestants.  The  Arabic  version  of 
the  Bible — the  life  work  of  Dr.  Eli  Smith  and  of  Dr.  Cor- 
nelius V.  A.  VanDyck — is  commended  by  all  Arabic  speak- 
ing peoples  for  the  beauty  of  its  style,  its  accuracy,  and  its 
fidelity  to  the  original  Scriptures.  Indeed,  it  is  regarded 
as  a  classic. 

The  missionaries  went  to  Turkey  with  no  message  of  their 
own,  and  with  no  new  doctrine.  Their  vantage  ground  was 
the  fact  that  the  Oriental  Christians  already  accepted  the 
Bible  as  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  even  Mohammedans,  as 
taught  by  Mohammed,  acknowledged  that  the  Pentateuch,  the 
Psalms,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Gospel  were  given  by  God. 
In  short,  the  business  of  the  missionaries  was  to  rescue  the 
"Old,  old  story  of  Jesus  and  his  love"  from  the  dust  and 
neglect  of  ages.  It  was  to  reinstate  the  Bible  in  the  esteem 
and  love  of  the  people,  and  invite  their  attention  anew  to 
the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel.  And,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  revelation  of  the  love  of  Christ,  of  the  simple  conditions 
of  salvation,  of  the  Scriptural  meaning  of  the  sacraments, 
of  the  privilege  of  simple,  direct  and  spontaneous  prayer,  of 
the  Gospel  ministry  as  a  service  and  not  a  lordship — these 
and  other  teachings  of  the  Bible  were  to  many  light  from 
heaven,  life  from  the  dead.  They  espoused  evangelical 
views,  not  by  human  persuasion,  but  because  they  were  im- 
pressed by  the  revelation  of  God  in  his  Word.  Many  of 
those  who  first  met  the  missionaries  were  school  teachers,  and 
not  a  few  were  the  sons  of  priests.  Indeed,  the  first  Ar- 
menian converts  were  a  bishop  and  a  vartabed  or  preacher, 
who  met  Dr.  Goodell  in  Syria,  and  whose  eyes  were  opened 


ATTITUDE  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES  103 

by  the  study  of  the  Scriptures.  It  is  remarkable  how  rap- 
idly the  vernacular  versions  spread  among  the  people;  how,x 
often  a  single  copy  of  the  New  Testament  without  exposition 
or  comment  brought  light  and  conviction  to  the  mind,  and 
led  to  humble  and  hearty  repentance  of  sin  and  faith  in 
Christ.  Armenians,  Greeks,  Bulgarians,  Syrians,  and  Nes- 
torians  were  impressed  in  the  same  manner,  though  not  in 
equal  numbers.  Among  them  all,  the  Armenians  were  the 
most  responsive,  for  they  showed  the  greatest  regard  for  the 
Bible  and  were  less  under  the  control  of  national  ambitions. 
The  early  inquirers  were  anxious  to  receive  instruction  and 
eagerly  attended  Bible  services  held  by  the  missionaries  in 
their  homes.  From  year  to  year  the  number  of  those  en- 
lightened largely  increased  both  in  Constantinople  and  at 
Brousa,  Trebizond,  Erzroum,  Cesarea,  and  elsewhere.  In 
some  places  Armenian  ecclesiastics  preached  sermons  which 
had  an  evangelical  flavor,  and  from  some  Armenian  churches 
pictures  of  the  Virgin  Mary  and  of  the  saints  were  removed. 
Indeed,  it  began  to  be  hoped  that  a  reformation  would  be 
brought  about  by  the  Armenians  themselves,  and  that  this 
ancient  church  would  ere  long  conform  in  doctrine  and  wor- 
sliip  to  the  teachings  of  the  New  Testament.  During  10 
years  of  labor  the  missionaries  had  shown  a  truly  catholic 
spirit.  They  were  simply  teachers  of  the  Bible.  They  had 
no  desire  to  proselyte  and  no  ambition  to  form  a  Protestant 
church.  Nothing  but  stern  necessity  led  them  to  change  their 
views  in  regard  to  a  separate  church  organization. 

THE  FORMATION  OF  THE  FIRST  EVANGELICAL  CHURCH 

The  hope  of  a  spiritual  reformation  within  the  Armenian 
church  was  frustrated  by  the  jealousy  and  hostility  of  mem- 
bers of  the  Armenian  hierarchy.  They  feared  that  the 
spread  of  evangelical  truth  would  undermine  the  structure 
of  the  Armenian  church,  would  rob  the  clergy  of  their  power 


104  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

and  weaken  the  Armenian  nation.  Failing  to  check  the 
movement  by  argument  and  discussion,  the  leaders  of  the 
persecution  had  recourse  to  intimidation  and  acts  of  vio- 
lence. Both  in  Constantinople  and  in  interior  cities  all 
suspected  men  were  called  upon  to  disavow  evangelical  views 
Those  who  refused  to  conform  to  rites  and  ceremonies 
which  they  regarded  as  unscriptural  and  wrong,  were  cast 
out  of  the  Gregorian  church  with  every  form  of  anathema 
and  abuse.  Some  of  the  evangelical  men,  on  the  demand  of 
the  patriarch,  were  thrown  into  prison  by  the  Turkish 
authorities,  some  were  locked  up  in  that  part  of  the  Ar- 
menian hospital  where  the  insane  were  confined,  some 
were  sent  into  exile,  and  many  were  deprived  of  their  per- 
mits to  trade  or  to  work  as  artisans.  The  converts  protested 
that  they  dearly  loved  their  nation,  that  in  all  civil  matters 
they  were  obedient  to  the  church  authorities  and  asked  for 
themselves  simply  that  they  be  allowed  to  hold  evangelical 
views  and  be  not  compelled  to  accept  doctrines  and  follow 
practices  which  in  their  view  were  unscriptural.  This  priv- 
ilege was  denied,  and  the  persecution  continued  with  more 
or  less  severity  for  several  years. 

In  1846  the  patriarch  Matteos  devised  a  new  creed,  and, 
on  threat  of  expulsion  from  the  church,  demanded  that  every 
evangelical  man  sign  it.  To  this  demand  the  following  reply 
was  made:  "We,  evangelical  Christians  of  the  Armenian 
nation,  believing  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  alone  are  the  true 
foundation  and  the  perfect  rule  of  the  Christian  faith,  have 
cast  away  from  us  those  human  traditions  and  ceremonies 
which  are  opposed  to  the  Bible.  Since,  however,  we  receive 
entire  the  Nicene  creed  of  the  Church,  we  could  well  be  con- 
sidered as  members  of  the  national  church.  But  Bishop 
Matteos,  patriarch  of  the  Armenians,  has  invented  a  new 
creed,  embracing  particularly  those  human  traditions,  and 
has  insisted  upon  our  subscribing  to  it.  We,  however,  obey- 
ing God  rather  than  man,  have  not  accepted  it.  On  this  ac- 


ATTITUDE  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES  105 

count  he  has  cast  us  out  of  the  church,  and  anathematized 
us  particularly  and  publicly  by  name,  and  has  inflicted  upon 
us  material  injuries.  And  now,  it  being  evident  that  we 
cannot  be  in  fellowship  with  the  Armenian  church  without 
accepting  traditions  and  rites  which  we  believe  to  be  con- 
trary to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  we,  therefore,  following  the 
doctrine  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  obeying  the  Gospel, 
and  being  thus  members  of  the  one  catholic  and  apostolic 
church,  do  rightfully  and  justly  form  ourselves  into  a 
church. ' ' 

At  the  request  of  the  evangelical  Armenians,  on  July  1, 
1846,  a  council  was  convened  in  Constantinople,  composed  of 
the  resident  missionaries  and  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Allen  and 
Koenig,  missionaries  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  to  the 
Jews,  and  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pomeroy,  one  of  the  secretaries  of 
the  American  Board.  This  council  carefully  considered  the 
petition  of  40  evangelical  Armenians  asking  that  they  be 
recognized  as  a  separate  and  independent  church,  and  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  they  were  denied  the  privilege  of  holding 
evangelical  views,  that  in  all  the  Armenian  churches  of  the 
capital  they  had  been  three  times  anathematized  and  declared 
cut  off  from  the  Armenian  church,  that  they  no  longer  had 
any  opportunity  to  join  in  the  public  worship  of  God  without 
violating  their  consciences,  and  were  denied  the  privilege 
of  observing  the  sacraments  and  of  promoting  their  personal 
growth  in  grace,  in  view  also  of  the  fact  that  the  petitioners 
in  a  respectful  letter  to  the  Armenian  patriarch  had  protested 
against  their  exclusion  from  the  Armenian  church  and  had 
been  refused  a  hearing — in  view  of  these  and  other  facts,  the 
council  decided  to  recognize  the  petitioners  as  the  First  Evan- 
gelical Church  of  Constantinople,  this  being  the  name  which 
they  themselves  chose.  A  plan  of  church  organization,  a 
confession  of  faith  and  a  covenant  were  then  read  to  the 
petitioners,  and  those  present  consented  to  the  whole,  and 
unanimously  adopted  the  statement  of  belief  and  the  covenant 


106  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

as  their  own.  The  church  thus  organized  unanimously  chose 
Mr.  Apisoghom  Utudjian  as  their  pastor. 

Such  were  the  circumstances  under  which  the  first  native 
evangelical  church  was  formed  in  Turkey,  and  it  may  well  be 
affirmed  that  this  action  was  as  justifiable  as  the  organization 
of  the  first  apostolic  church  in  Jerusalem.  The  result  has 
justified  the  action,  for  by  their  separate  organization,  by 
their  simple  forms  of  worship,  and  by  their  Christian  example 
the  evangelical  Armenians  have  been  enabled,  as  otherwise 
they  could  not,  to  witness  against  the  erroneous  doctrines  and 
practices  of  the  national  church,  and  to  testify  to  the  one 
true  way  of  salvation  through  repentance  and  faith  in  Christ. 
Under  similar  circumstances  and  on  the  same  basis  evangelical 
churches  were  formed  the  same  year  in  Nicomedia,  Adabazar, 
and  Trebizond,  and  in  the  following  year  (1847)  in  Brousa 
and  Erzroum.  On  the  same  basis  churches  have  been  formed 
among  the  Greeks  and  Bulgarians.  All  these  churches  at 
their  own  request  have  been  recognized  simply  as  evangelical 
churches  with  no  denominational  name,  and  native  pastors 
have  been  installed  over  them.  We  rejoice  to  add  that  any 
special  persecution  on  the  part  of  the  Armenian  church  has 
long  since  ceased,  and  that  many  evidences  of  friendly  rela- 
tions between  the  Armenian  and  the  Evangelical  churches 
have  been  witnessed. 

The  question  is  sometimes  asked,  Has  not  the  time  come 
when  the  Evangelical  churches  of  Turkey  should  unite  with 
the  Gregorian  Armenian  church?  This  is  a  question  which 
the  Evangelical  churches  must  answer  for  themselves.  The 
general  sentiment  seems  to  be  that  the  time  has  not  come  for 
such  a  union.  The  Armenian  church,  thank  God,  is  now 
tolerant  towards  evangelical  men,  but  its  system  of  doctrine 
and  its  practices  have  changed  but  little,  and  evangelical 
men  cannot  find  a  real  welcome  therein.  At  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Cilicia  Evangelical  Union,  held  at  Aintab  in  June, 
1914,  noteworthy  action  was  taken  regarding  the  proposed 


ATTITUDE  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES  107 

union  between  Protestants  and  Gregorians.  The  pastors  and 
delegates  present  numbered  50,  and  by  unanimous  resolution 
they  stated  their  conviction  that  such  a  union  was  not  prac- 
ticable, and  that  it  would  be  disadvantageous  for  both  Prot- 
estants and  Gregorians.  Such  undoubtedly  is  the  conviction 
of  the  other  Evangelical  Unions. 

At  the  same  time  all  friends  of  the  Armenian  race  should 
rejoice  that  there  are  now  some  Gregorians  who  recognize  that 
the  supreme  need  of  their  church  is  a  spiritual  regeneration. 
A  remarkable  proof  of  this  is  found  in  an  article  recently 
published,  with  strong  words  of  approval,  in  the  magazine 
called  the  Da  jar,  the  recognized  organ  of  the  Gregorian 
church  in  Constantinople.  The  author  is  a  Gregorian  named 
Raphael  Melik-Atamian,  and  says:  "The  Armenian  church 
must  be  revived,  must  be  born  again.  But  is  it  enough  for 
this  purpose  merely  to  introduce  changes  in  the  services,  the 
rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  church  ?  Decidedly  no !  We 
are  not  opposed  to  that  kind  of  change,  indeed  we  are  entirely 
convinced  that  changes  are  absolutely  necessary,  but  we  are 
also  convinced  that  by  such  means  the  trouble  will  not  be 
completely  remedied.  The  real  trouble  with  our  church  is 
not  in  that  direction.  Our  church  has  become  a  formal  and 
ritualistic  church ;  it  has  lost  the  kernel  and  kept  only  the 
shell ;  there  is  no  true  Christian  life  in  it,  and  no  anxiety 
or  care  about  such  life.  The  church  must  care,  for  the 
spiritual  nurture  of  its  flock;  the  living  word,  the  Word  of 
God,  must  sound  continually  in  the  churches,  and  this  word 
must  sound  forth  from  the  mouths  of  ecclesiastics  who  have 
a  true  and  living  faith,  whose  word  and  preaching  shall 
correspond  with  their  life  and  work.  We  need  truly  sincere, 
devoted,  spiritual  leaders,  inspired  by  the  call  of  ministering 
the  Gospel  of  Christ;  our  people  need  true  and  living  ex- 
amples of  the  Christian  life;  only  true  life  produces  life; 
a  living  example  is  the  most  eloquent  sermon. ' ' 

Praise  to  God  that  a  Gregorian  is  able  to  make  such  a 


108 


LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 


diagnosis  of  the  condition  of  the  Armenian  church,  and  that 
he  prescribes  the  true  remedy.  God  grant  that  there  may 
be  others  of  like  spiritual  discernment,  and  that  all  such  men 
may  call  mightily  on  the  Lord.  God  hasten  the  day  when  the 
whole  Armenian  church  shall  be  vitalized  and  spiritualized. 
Then  there  will  be  no  question  between  the  Gregorian  and 
the  Evangelical  churches,  for  there  will  be  in  reality  one  true 
Christian  church.  Then  will  be  realized  the  original  aim  of 
the  American  Board  and  its  missionaries. 


GROWTH  OF  THE  WORK 

The  following  table  indicates  the  growth  of  the  evangelical 
work  in  Turkey  since  1845 : 


Mission- 

Native 

Tear 

aries 

Workers 

Churches 

Members 

Schools 

Pupils 

1845  

34 

12 

7 

135 

1850  

38 

25 

7 

237 

7 

112 

1855  

58 

77 

23 

584 

38 

363 

1860  

92 

156 

40 

1277 

71 

2742 

1865  

89 

204 

49 

2004 

114 

4160 

1870  

116 

364 

69 

2553 

205 

5489 

1875  

137 

460 

77 

3759 

244 

8253 

1880  

,  146 

548 

97 

6626 

331 

13095 

1885  

156 

768 

105 

8259 

390 

13791 

1890  

177 

791 

117 

11709 

464 

16990 

1895  

,  176 

878 

125 

12787 

423 

20496 

1900  

,  162 

929 

127 

13379 

438 

22545 

1905  

187 

1057 

132 

16009 

465 

22867 

1913  

209 

1299 

163 

15348 

450 

25922 

"The  Orient,"  published  at  Constantinople,  April  17,  1912, 
gives  a  table  showing  the  growth  of  the  Western  Turkey 
Mission  from  1860  to  December  31,  1911,  and  says:  "While 
in  1860  the  proportion  of  foreign  to  native  workers  was  as 
1  to  1%,  today  it  is  as  1  to  6 ;  and  whereas  in  1860  the  money 
given  by  the  American  Board  was  in  proportion  to  that  given 
by  the  people  as  152  to  1,  in  1910  it  was  as  1%  to  1.  Church 
membership  has  grown  nearly  ten  fold,  and  Sunday  schools 
in  like  proportion.  The  table  does  not  show  facts  about 


ATTITUDE  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES  109 

medical  or  literary  or  philanthropic  work.  In  these  depart- 
ments also  the  showing  would  be  a  surprise  to  our  friends, 
especially  in  the  medical  work." 

This  remarkable  growth  was  due  to  the  grace,  mercy  and 
power  of  almighty  God  and  to  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  Various 
were  the  agencies  which  God  was  pleased  to  use  to  bring 
about  this  result. 


CHAPTER  VI 

FACTORS  IN  THE   DEVELOPMENT   OF   THE   WORK 
THE  FORMATION  OF  A  PROTESTANT  COMMUNITY 

EFFORT  was  made  through  the  friendly  influence  of  the 
British  ambassador  to  secure  relief  from  persecution  and 
freedom  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  con- 
science. From  the  capture  of  Constantinople  in  1453  the 
Turkish  government  granted  authority  to  the  patriarchs  of 
the  Christian  churches  and  to  the  chief  rabbi  of  the  Jews, 
each  as  the  representative  of  his  own  communion,  to  exercise 
jurisdiction  not  only  in  spiritual  but  also  in  civil  affairs. 
Hence  in  the  matter  of  taxes,  passports  for  travel,  permits 
of  marriage,  and  bequests  of  money  for  religious  purposes  the 
Armenian  patriarch  had  jurisdiction  over  all  Armenians. 
The  Protestant  subjects  of  the  government  had  now  become 
a  separate  religious  body,  and  through  the  kind  intervention 
of  Lord  Cowley,  the  British  ambassador,  Reshid  Pasha,  the 
Grand  Vizier,  was  pleased,  under  date  of  November  15,  1847, 
to  send  an  order  to  the  local  authorities,  enjoining  on  them 
in  the  transaction  and  settlement  of  all  the  civil  affairs  of 
Protestants,  to  recognize,  not  the  patriarchs,  but  only  the 
person  chosen  by  the  Protestants  to  appear  as  their  agent 
at  the  Porte,  and  strict  command  was  given  that  no  inter- 
ference whatever  be  permitted  in  the  temporal  or  spiritual 
concerns  of  the  Protestants  on  the  part  of  the  patriarchs, 
monks  or  priests  of  other  sects.  This  order  was  a  great  boon, 
but  it  was  the  order  of  the  Grand  Vizier  only,  who  might  at 
any  tune  be  changed.  Hence,  in  order  to  place  the  civil  and 

110 


FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  111 

religious  liberty  of  the  Protestants  on  a  sure  and  permanent 
foundation,  by  the  efforts  of  Lord  Stratford  de  Redcliffe, 
the  British  ambassador,  under  date  of  November,  1850,  an 
imperial  firman  was  obtained  from  Sultan  Abdul  Medjid, 
commanding  all  Turkish  authorities  to  recognize  the  agent  of 
the  Protestants,  and  not  to  allow  them  to  be  molested  one 
iota  in  their  civil  and  religious  affairs.  Finally,  under  date 
of  April,  1853,  a  special  firman,  bearing  the  signature  of 
the  Sultan  himself,  and  hence  called  the  Hatti  Shereef,  was 
given  to  Sdepan,  "the  Honorable  Vekeel  (Agent)  of  the 
Protestant  Christian  Community,"  promising  to  secure  per- 
fect protection  to  all  the  Protestant  subjects.  Special  firmans 
of  like  import  were  addressed  to  the  governors  of  23  provinces 
of  the  empire. 

The  second  factor  in  the  advancement  of  the  evangelical 
work  in  Turkey  was 

AN  ABLE  AND  DEVOTED  MINISTRY 

What  is  the  relation  of  the  missionary  to  the  native  minis- 
ter? The  missionary  passes  on,  the  native  minister  abides 
to  the  end  of  time.  Our  Divine  Master,  in  his  human  form, 
was  a  foreign  missionary.  He  came  and  he  went;  the  dis- 
ciples who  remained  were,  by  the  indwelling  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  to  do  even  greater  works  than  Christ  had  done 
in  his  earthly  ministry.  The  missionary,  too,  is  a  messenger 
from  without,  called  by  God  to  proclaim  his  truth  and  to 
carry  to  others  the  impulse  to  a  new  and  spiritual  life;  but 
history  tells  us  of  no  nation  converted  to  Christianity,  or 
reformed  and  quickened  in  its  spiritual  life,  save  by  the  aid 
of  men  of  its  own  flesh  and  blood.  If,  then,  the  missionary 
wishes  to  make  Christ  known  to  heathen  nations,  or  to  quicken 
tlic  spiritual  life  of  peoples  nominally  Christian,  the  best  way, 
indeed  the  only  way,  is  to  prepare  a  native  ministry  of  the 
highest  possible  efficiency.  Every  missionary  society  of  mod- 


112  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

ern  times  has  had  this  purpose  and  plan.  Thanks  to  God 
that  in  this  important  work  the  missions  in  Turkey  have 
been  highly  favored. 

In  1819,  the  American  Board,  for  the  first  time,  sent  mis- 
sionaries to  Syria,  and  the  first  persons  of  whose  spiritual 
awakening  the  missionaries  had  knowledge  were  three  Ar- 
menian ecclesiastics,  with  one  of  whom  the  Rev.  \Villiam 
Goodell  began  the  study  of  Turkish  in  1824,  while  the  other 
two  were  employed  to  assist  him  in  translating  portions  of 
the  Bible  and  certain  tracts  into  Turkish.  B£  a  remarkable 
providence  the  truth  proclaimed  in  Syria  found  its  echo  in 
Constantinople.  In  1826,  Rev.  Jonas  King,  after  three  years' 
labor  in  Syria,  addressed  a  farewell  letter  in  Arabic  to  his 
Syrian  Catholic  friends,  and  therein  explained  at  length  the 
reasons  why  he  could  not  accept  Roman  Catholicism.  This 
letter,  translated  into  Turkish  by  Mr.  Goodell,  and  written 
in  Armenian  letters,  was  sent  to  Constantinople,  and  was 
read  in  a  council  of  ecclesiastics  convened  by  the  Armenian 
patriarch,  and  the  passages  of  Scripture  referred  to  in  the 
letter  were  carefully  examined.  This  letter  made  a  deep 
impression,  and  convinced  the  patriarch  and  the  bishops 
present  that  certain  reforms  in  the  priesthood  were  needed. 
The  one  visible  result  of  this  incident,  however,  was  the  open- 
ing of  a  school,  in  1827,  for  the  instruction  of  priests  and 
teachers.  The  head  of  this  school  was  an  extraordinary  man, 
named  Peshtimaljian.  He  was  an  excellent  Armenian  schol- 
ar, acquainted  with  the  national  history,  and  familiar  both 
with  the  Bible  and  with  the  theology  of  the  Roman  and 
Oriental  churches.  He  was  no  friend  to  the  superstitions  of 
his  own  church,  and  was  disgusted  with  the  low  character  of 
many  of  its  clergy.  He  was  a  timid  man,  and  never  identified 
himself  with  the  evangelical  cause,  but  he  taught  his  pupils 
to  think  and  investigate,  and,  best  of  all,  to  study  the  Bible. 
In  short,  this  man  seems  to  have  been  sent  to  prepare  the 
way  for  the  evangelical  awakening.  When  Peshtimaljian  be- 


Aft*4^ 


DER    KEVORK    ARDZRUM 
SIMON    TAV1TIAN  ALEXANDER  JEJIZIAN 


AVEDIS  CONSTANTIAX  SARKIS    TELFEYAX  A\-£DIS   ASADOURIAX 


P.    PHILADELPHEFS 


AR.\KEL    BEDIKIAX 


STAVRI    MIKHAILJDES 

PROTESTAHT   LEADERS 


FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  113 

came  acquainted  with  Messrs.  Goodell  and  -Dwight,  he  showed 
himself  most  friendly;  and  when  in  1833,  15  young  men 
from  his  school  were  ordained  priests  in  the  patriarchial 
church,  the  missionaries  were  invited  to  be  present,  and  Mr. 
Goodell  joined  in  laying  hands  on  their  heads  and  in  praying 
that  they  might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost.  Peshtimaljian's 
school  continued  for  10  years,  until  his  death  in  1837,  and, 
according  to  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Goodell,  Peshtimaljian  died 
strong  in  the  belief  that  the  pure  Word  of  God  would  one  day 
prevail  in  all  the  churches. 

Now,  in  the  providence  of  God,  all  the  men  first  awakened 
to  a  spiritual  life  through  the  labors  of  the  missionaries  were 
pupils  of  Peshtimaljian,  and  of  these  the  first  two  were 
Hovhannes  Der  Sahagian  and  Senekerim  Der  Minasian.  In 
1833  these  young  men  heard  that  two  missionaries  had  come 
from  America  and  were  preparing  to  open  a  school  for  Ar- 
menians. Thereupon  Hovhannes  sought  an  interview,  and 
about  a  month  later  both  he  and  Senekerim  put  themselves 
under  missionary  guidance  and  instruction.  Soon  other 
choice  young  men  sought  the  acquaintance  of  the  mission- 
aries, and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  while  Messrs.  Goodell  and 
Dwight,  during  the  first  four  years  of  their  residence  in 
Constantinople,  gave  most  of  their  time  to  the  reform  and 
improvement  of  schools  among  Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Turks, 
the  spiritual  influence  of  the  missionaries  was  almost  ex- 
clusively confined  to  the  Armenian  clergy  and  their  sons. 
Indeed  those  who  in  1836  were  thought  to  have  begun  a 
spiritual  life  consisted  of  four  priests,  four  sons  of  priests, 
^ind  a  grandson  of  a  priest.  Hence  the  missionaries  very 
early  concluded  that  the  purpose  of  the  Lord,  in  bringing 
within  their  influence  so  many  young  men,  was  to  use  them 
to  enlighten  their  countrymen,  and  the  missionaries  wrote 
to  the  officers  of  the  Board  that  they  would  esteem  themselves 
highly  honored  if  permitted  to  train  up  and  qualify  a  few 
such  men  to  become  teachers  and  preachers  of  the  Gospel. 


114  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

With  this  object,  the  missionaries  in  October,  1834,  opened  a 
High  School,  in  which  instruction  was  given  not  only  in  the 
common  branches,  but  also  in  the  natural  sciences  and  in 
the  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures.  Once  broken  up  through 
the  efforts  of  the  Armenian  patriarchate,  the  school  was  again 
reopened,  and  was  highly  successful.  Finally,  in  March, 
1836,  the  missionaries  united  in  a  call  for  a  special  teacher 
from  America,  and  such  were  the  qualifications  which  they 
laid  down  as  to  suggest  that,  unwittingly,  they  were  drawing 
the  portrait  of  the  man  who  was  afterwards  known  as  Dr. 
Hamlin. 

Mr.  Cyrus  Hamlin  arrived  in  Constantinople  in  January, 
1839,  to  enter  on  his  life  work  as  teacher.  In  November,  1840, 
the  High  School,  previously  closed  on  account  of  persecution, 
was  reopened  in  the  village  of  Bebek  as  a  boarding  school, 
and  in  1843,  with  the  coming  of  Eev.  George  W.  Wood  as 
an  assistant,  became  known  as  Bebek  Seminary.  See  the 
Sketch  of  Cyrus  Hamlin.  This  institution  continued  its  work 
for  20  years,  with  an  average  of  40  students.  Dr.  Hamlin 
was  assisted  by  several  missionary  colleagues  and  by  able 
natives,  among  whom  Mr.  Baronig,  better  known  as  Dr.  Mat- 
teosian,  and  Mr.  Ghazaros,  better  known  as  Ghazaros  Effendi 
Daoud,  were  conspicuous.  During  its  whole  history  Bebek 
Seminary  was  an  important  center  of  evangelical  influence, 
and  not  only  taught  its  students  the  dignity  of  labor  and  the 
duty  of  self-help,  but  also  gave  special  theological  instruction 
to  those  who  showed  fitness  for  the  ministry.  Many  of  its 
graduates  engaged  in  business,  and  others  became  teachers, 
and  it  soon  was  apparent  that  through  its  influence  both  the 
educational  status  of  the  Protestant  community  was  improved, 
and  the  reputation  of  many  of  the  leading  Protestants  as 
men  of  business  was  distinctly  heightened.  The  first  six 
pastors  ordained  over  evangelical  churches  in  Turkey  were 
among  the  young  men  of  Constantinople  who  early  came 


FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  115 

into  close  touch  with  the  missionaries,  and  most  of  them 
received  their  education  in  Bebek  Seminary,  as  did  nearly 
all  the  early  pastors,  preachers,  and  helpers  in  the  interior 
cities;  the  teacher  of  the  first  high  school  in  Aintab  also, 
Zenop  by  name,  was  from  Bebek  Seminary,  a  man  warmly 
commended  by  Dr.  Hamlin,  and  highly  appreciated  by  the 
Aintab  people ;  this  man  is  said  to  have  prepared  the  way  for 
Central  Turkey  College.  Classes  for  theological  instruction 
were  early  gathered  by  Dr.  Schneider  in  Aintab,  and  subse- 
quently such  schools  were  opened  in  Marash,  Marsovan,  Har- 
pout,  Mardin,  and  Samokov.  In  1913  the  number  of  ordained 
and  unordained  preachers  was  210,  and  the  total  of  native 
laborers  was  1,2991 

Such  a  body  of  native  co-workers  is  the  joy  of  all  our  mis- 
sions. Not  a  few  of  these  men,  educated  partly  in  Turkey 
and  partly  in  Europe  and  America,  are  the  highly  esteemed 
colleagues  of  the  missionaries  in  high  institutions  of  learning 
and  in  literary  work.  Of  the  first  three  Armenians  spiritu- 
ally awakened,  Hovhannes  Der  Sahagian,  after  study  in 
America,  became  a  useful  and  exemplary  pastor,  Senekerim 
Der  Minasian,  returning  from  America,  was  soon  called  to 
his  heavenly  home,  and  Sarkis  Yarzhabed  was  a  valuable 
assistant  in  publication  work  in  Smyrna,  and  the  translator 
of  " Pilgrim's  Progress"  and  of  D'Aubigne's  ''History  of 
the  Reformation."  Other  brethren,  both  Armenian,  Greek, 
and  Bulgarian,  have  assisted  in  translating  the  Bible,  and  in 
preparing  and  publishing  numerous  educational  and  devo- 
tional books. 

One  of  these  invaluable  assistants  was  Rev.  Avedis  Con- 
stantian,  who,  after  a  happy  and  fruitful  ministry  in  Marash, 
gave  25  years  to  successive  revisions  of  the  Turkish  Bible 
and  to  the  publication  of  the  Ancient  Armenian  Bible  with 
critical  notes.  He  was  a  careful  and  indefatigable  scholar, 
and  during  all  the  period  of  his  literary  work  in  Constanti- 


116  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

nople  was  the  highly  esteemed  preacher  of  the  Bible  House 
congregation,  distinguished  for  clear  thought,  spiritual  in- 
sight, and  Scriptural  preaching. 

In  the  educational  work  one  native  colleague  was  Professor 
Alexander  Bezjian.  Educated  in  Bebek  Seminary  and  in 
the  Scientific  School  of  Yale  University,  he  had  a  very  im- 
portant part  in  the  work  of  Central  Turkey  College.  A  man 
of  broad  culture,  rare  scientific  attainments  and  deep  piety, 
both  as  the  first  teacher  of  the  preparatory  department  of 
the  college,  as  the  leading  native  professor,  and  as  a  preacher, 
he  had  an  important  influence  in  the  development  of  the 
large  Protestant  community  of  Aintab  and  in  the  spread  of 
education  and  religion  in  all  Central  Turkey. 

In  the  work  of  theological  instruction,  Rev.  Simon  Terzian 
had  a  conspicuous  part.  A  pupil  of  Dr.  Schneider  at  Aintab, 
a  scholar  by  nature  and  by  resolute  effort,  for  25  years  he  was 
the  highly  esteemed  teacher  of  Hebrew  and  Homiletics  in 
Marash  Theological  Seminary. 

It  was  a  happy  omen  that  the  Lord  provided  the  Rev. 
Apisoghom  Utudjian  as  the  first  pastor  of  the  first  evangelical 
church.  A  pupil  of  Peshtimaljian  and  early  awakened,  he 
received  much  private  instruction  from  the  missionaries  and 
attended  exegetical  and  theological  lectures  by  them  in  the 
High  School  at  Pera.  By  reason  of  his  hearty  consecration, 
his  clear  views  of  evangelical  truth,  his  good  judgment  and 
his  dignified  manner,  he  was  a  man  eminently  fitted  to  take 
up  and  carry  forward  the  work  of  the  missionaries.  The 
untimely  death  of  the  pastor,  after  a  ministry  of  only  eight 
months,  was  a  grievous  blow  to  the  infant  church  just  emerg- 
ing from  a  cruel  persecution,  but  his  example  under  affliction 
and  his  triumphant  assurance  during  his  illness  filled  his 
people  with  unbounded  joy.  He  had  been  permitted  to  re- 
ceive ten  new  members  to  the  church,  and  he  left  a  notable 
example  as  pastor  and  preacher  to  his  brother  Simon,  who 
became  his  successor,  to  his  brother  gclepan,  who  for  1  j  years 


FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  117 

was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Brousa,  and  to  all  his  brother 
ministers. 

Two  of  the  most  useful  graduates  of  Bebek  Seminary  were 
Simon  Tavitian  and  Sdepan  Schmavonian,  who,  hearing  that 
some  learned  foreigners  had  opened  a  school  at  the  capital 
to  teach  the  theology  of  the  Bible,  started,  almost  penniless, 
to  enter  this  school.  Arrived  at  Constantinople,  after  a  jour- 
ney of  great  toil  and  danger,  they  were  told  by  the  Armenian 
patriarch  that  he  had  shut  up  the  school  of  the  American 
heretics,  and  they  were  sent  back,  with  false  promises,  to 
their  monastery.  With  a  courage  and  resolution  character- 
istic of  their  race,  they  started  again  for  the  goal  of  their 
ambition ;  ,the  one  by  way  of  Jerusalem,  the  other  by  the 
more  direct  route,  and  eventually  both  reached  Bebek 
Seminary.  Under  a  cloak  of  poverty  and  dirt,  Dr.  Hamlin 
saw  the  worth  of  these  men,  and  helped  them  to  support 
themselves  and  to  complete  a  course  of  study,  and  found  a 
rich  reward  in  the  love  of  his  pupils  and  in  the  long  and 
fruitful  ministry  of  Simon,  first  at  Bitlis  and  then  at  Nico- 
media,  and  of  Sdepan,  at  Haine,  near  Diarbekir. 

A  brief  reference  to  three  other  model  pastors  must  suffice 
for  this  review. 

Marderos  Schmavonian  was  one  of  a  choice  company  of 
young  men  who  reached  Bebek  Seminary  from  Diarbekir  in 
1852.  A  man  of  slight  form,  of  most  gentle  disposition,  of 
rare  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  he  feared  not  the  face  of 
man  and  could  not  be  provoked  to  quarrel  with  anybody. 
After  five  years  in  the  seminary  he  entered  on  a  ministry  of 
30  years  at  Harpout  and  five  years  in  Stamboul.  In  the  city 
and  province  of  Harpout  he  saw  a  marvelous  growth,  as 
indicated  by  the  gain  in  church  members,  in  the  increase  of 
self-supporting  churches,  in  the  number  of  native  workers, 
and  in  education.  His  sudden  death  in  1892  was  an  irrepar- 
able loss  to  the  Gospel  ministry  in  Constantinople.  Dr. 
Hamlin,  on  hearing  of  his  death,  well  remarked  that  few  men 


118  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

have  been  so  universally  loved  and  respected  as  Pastor  Mar- 
deros. 

Alexander  Jejizian,  another  graduate  of  Bebek  Seminary, 
was  ordained  pastor  of  the  church  of  Adabazar,  his  native 
city,  in  1862,  and  was  indefatigable  in  the  Gospel  ministry 
for  31  years.  Supported  entirely  by  his  church  and  living  on 
a  small  salary,  with  a  large  family  of  sons  to  educate,  he 
declined  every  suggestion  to  seek  some  lucrative  position,  and 
he  had  his  reward  even  in  the  present  life.  He  edified  his 
people  both  by  his  able  preaching  and  his  example;  he 
secured  the  unbounded  love  and  confidence  of  the  entire  com- 
munity; he  saw  his  church  quadrupled  in  numbers  and  re- 
sources ;  he  educated  his  people  in  self-government,  and  taught 
them  how  to  settle  differences  without  a  quarrel  and  without 
outside  help ;  he  secured  good  schools  for  the  community  and 
a  collegiate  education  for  his  sons;  he  exercised  the  influence 
of  a  wise  and  godly  bishop  in  all  the  province,  and,  dying  in 
1893,  left  a  zealous  and  harmonious  church  to  his  son  and 
successor.  His  loss  was  deeply  mourned,  not  only  by  the 
Protestant  community  but  also  by  the  whole  city.  An  Ar- 
menian vartabed  pronounced  a  well-deserved  eulogy  over  his 
grave,  and  we  doubt  not  that  the  Master  welcomed  him  with 
the  gracious  words,  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant. " 
To  those  who  inquire  whether  the  Gospel  ministry  pays,  the 
life  of  Alexander  Jejizian  replies,  "It  pays." 

The  third  model  pastorate  to  be  mentioned  is  that  of  Rev. 
Kara  Krikor  Haroutunian,  of  Aintab,  who  died  in  1908. 
Led  to  consecrate  himself  to  Christ  through  the  preaching 
of  Dr.  Schneider  in  1848,  he  was  himself  filled  with  a  burning 
desire  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and,  trained  in  theology  and  in 
the  art  of  preaching  by  the  same  saintly  man,  in  1855  he 
accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  evangelical  church  of  Aintab. 
In  the  course  of  nine  years  the  church  membership  increased 
to  334,  and  the  number  in  the  parish  to  1,800;  and  it  was 
thought  best  that  a  second  church  be  organized  with  a  new 


FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  119 

pastor,  the  Rev.  Avedis  Poladian.  In  the  course  of  the  next 
20  years  such  was  the  growth  of  the  church  to  which  Mr. 
Haroutunian  ministered,  and  such  the  burden  of  the  pas- 
torate, that  in  1892  Rev.  Manasseh  G.  Papazian  became  as- 
sistant pastor.  In  1908  the  members  of  his  church  had 
increased  to  over  700,  with  a  parish  which  numbered  about 
2,500  souls,  and  an  income  for  spiritual  work  of  more  than 
$2,200,  while  the  whole  number  of  Protestants  in  Aintab, 
divided  into  three  parishes,  was  over  5,000.  Such  a  pastorate 
was  clearly  the  fruit  of  wisdom  and  ability,  single-hearted 
devotion  and  a  holy  life;  and  the  happy  and  uninterrupted 
leadership  of  such  a  church  for  53  years  required  not  only 
a  wise  leader,  but  also  the  support  of  a  body  of  wise  and 
devoted  counselors.  Knowing  that  the  permanence  of  a  work 
is  the  final  proof  of  its  value,  well  may  we  too  join  in  com- 
mending the  one  evangelical  pastor  of  Turkey  who  lived  to 
celebrate  the  50th  anniversary  of  his  pastorate  (1905). 

We  should  love  to  mention,  not  only  many  other  beloved 
Armenian  pastors  and  preachers,  but  also  several  equally 
beloved  Greek  fellow  ministers,  such  as  Rev.  George  Con- 
stantine,  of  Smyrna,  and  Rev.  Stavri  Mikha'ilides,  of  Con- 
stantinople. 

We  must  briefly  refer  to  a  few  of  those  devoted  ministers 
who  laid  down  their  lives  for  Christ's  sake  in  1895  and  were 
joined  to  the  noble  army  of  martyrs. 

Such  an  one  was  Pastor  Abouhaiyatian,  of  Ourfa.  Of 
commanding  presence  and  rare  ability,  educated  partly  in 
Bebek  and  partly  in  Germany  and  America,  he  devoted  all 
he  had  of  body,  mind,  and  spirit  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  his  fellow-men.  In  the  prime  of  life,  with  a  large 
and  devoted  church  and  an  influence  extending  far  beyond 
the  limits  of  his  parish,  leaving  a  wife  and  six  children,  he 
met  the  last  summons  with  unflinching  courage  and  speedily 
passed  into  glory. 

Such  an  one  was  Pastor  Sarkis,  of  Chounkoush,  a  quiet 


120  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

and  devoted  man,  faithful  in  his  study  and  efficient  in  the 
oversight  of  schools  and  all  church  work.  He  had  gathered 
a  large  congregation  and  had  a  successful  Sunday  school,  and 
an  ever  widening  influence.  He  too,  following  the  example 
of  his  beloved  wife,  was  faithful  unto  death. 

Such  an  one  was  the  devoted  and  loving  Pastor  Krikor, 
of  Ichme,  who  never  had  had  an  enemy;  Pastor  Ghazaros,  of 
Chermouk,  who  like  Paul  counted  not  his  life  dear  unto  him- 
self, and  Pastor  Kulludjian,  of  Sivas,  who  after  days  of  cruel 
treatment,  with  a  testimony  for  Jesus  on  his  lips  like  that  of 
Polycarp,  was  shot  because  he  would  not  deny  his  Lord. 

Such  too  were  the  21  pastors  and  preachers,  including  Pro- 
fessor Sarkis  Levonian,  of  Aintab  College,  who,  in  April,  1909, 
were  on  their  way  to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Cilicia 
Evangelical  Union,  called  to  convene  in  Adana,  and  who, 
intercepted  on  their  way,  refused  to  deny  their  Lord  and 
were  slain  by  cruel  Turks.  These,  and  many  others,  minis- 
ters and  laymen,  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and,  having  been  found  faithful  unto 
death,  received  the  crown  of  life. 

Counting  all  those  native  ministers  who  from  the  first  have 
had  a  share  in  the  Gospel  ministry,  many  more  are  they  who 
have  already  entered  into  glory  than  they  who  survive.  The 
former  have  ceased  from  their  earthly  labors,  but  the  sweet 
memory  and  the  gracious  influence  of  their  works  do  follow 
them. 

While  in  1913  in  the  four  missions  in  Turkey  and  in  the 
Balkan  peninsula  the  number  of  native  laborers  was  1,299, 
the  total  number  of  ordained  missionaries  was  but  55,  and 
there  appears  to  be  no  intention  to  increase  the  number  of 
missionaries.  The  history  of  the  past  inspires  the  mission- 
aries with  the  confident  hope  that  through  the  native  ministry 
the  evangelical  work  will  still  be  carried  forward,  and  they 
pray  to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  the  supply  of  able,  conse- 
crated native  workers  may  never  fail.  Then,  whether  the 


0J      co      . 

p  s  § 

an 


FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  121 

foreign  workers  be  few  or  many,  or  none  at  all,  the  evangelical 
work  in  Turkey  shall  never  die. 

The  third  factor  in  the  advancement  of  the  evangelical  work 
in  Turkey  was 

THE  INCULCATION  OF  THE  PRINCIPLE  OF  SELF-SUPPORT 

From  the  outset  the  missionaries  taught  the  evangelical 
churches  the  duty  of  supporting  their  pastors  and  teachers. 
In  a  land  of  poverty  and  oppression,  where  wages  were  ex- 
ceedingly small,  where  the  utmost  effort  was  necessary  to 
secure  a  livelihood,  and  where  supporters  were  few,  the  newly 
formed  churches  had  need  of  aid.  This  aid,  however,  was 
not  to  be  continued  long,  and  was  to  be  diminished  year  by 
year.  The  apostolic  principle  in  propagating  the  Gospel  was 
a  native  pastor  for  every  church  and  a  church  which  sup- 
ported its  pastor.  Paul  ordained  "elders"  in  every  place 
where  there  was  a  body  of  Christians,  and  to  them  he  com- 
mitted the  care  and  instruction  of  the  churches.  The  support 
of  these  elders  he  left  to  the  people.  "Even  so,"  said  Paul, 
"hath  the  Lord  ordained  that  they  which  preach  the  Gospel, 
should  live  of  the  Gospel."  This  principle  the  missionaries 
in  Turkey  endeavored  to  carry  out.  It  was  truly  of  God  that 
early  in  the  prosecution  of  the  evangelical  work  in  Turkey 
able  and  devoted  young  men  came  forward  in  Constantinople, 
Aintab,  Harpout,  Marsovan,  and  Mardin  to  be  trained  for 
the  ministry.  Hence  there  was  no  necessity  that  a  missionary 
become  the  pastor  of  a  native  church,  and  every  church  was 
left  to  call  its  own  pastor.  The  condition  of  useful  and  happy 
relations  between  pastor  and  church  was  self-support.  Hence 
the  salaries  of  pastors  must  of  necessity  be  low,  such  a  sum  as 
the  church,  composed  of  poor  people,  might  ere  long  be  able 
to  pay. 

The  grants-in-aid  made  by  the  missionaries  were  not  more, 
as  a  rule,  than  one-half  the  salary,  and  in  some  stations  the 


122  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

aid  was  to  be  continued  not  more  than  five  years.  The  carry- 
ing out  of  these  rules  was  left  to  the  stations,  and  success  in 
applying  them  depended  on  special  circumstances  in  each 
community  and  on  the  fidelity  and  energy  of  the  missionaries. 
For  many  a  missionary  it  was  no  easy  task  to  urge,  and  some- 
times almost  to  compel,  a  poor  people  to  move  forward  to- 
wards self-support.  Indeed  the  work  was  often  like  the 
weaning  of  a  child.  The  child,  however,  must  be  weaned, 
and  the  church,  even  among  the  poorest  of  the  poor,  if  it  was 
to  have  a  permanent  and  honorable  existence,  must  become 
self -supporting.  Success  varied  in  the  different  missions  and 
stations,  but  on  the  whole  it  was  encouraging.  A  few  years 
ago  when  the  churches  in  the  four  Turkey  missions,  including 
Bulgaria,  numbered  144,  there  were  54  churches  entirely  self- 
supporting,  48  largely  self-supporting,  and  42  churches  deci- 
mated by  massacre  and  enfeebled  by  emigration  were  in  dan- 
ger of  extinction  for  lack  of  help  to  support  a  pastor.  Let 
it  be  added  that  the  lack  of  aid  to  these  42  churches  was  not 
because  the  missionaries,  in  carrying  out  a  rule,  did  not  see 
fit  to  aid  them,  but  because  the  Board  was  not  able  to  furnish 
the  means.  If  the  churches  of  America  had  really  appre- 
hended the  situation  of  the  churches  in  Turkey  which  were 
reduced  to  desperate  straits  they  surely  would  have  supplied 
the  Board  with  the  means  to  aid  those  churches. 

The  greatest  success  in  planting  self-supporting  churches 
was  in  the  Harpout  station  between  the  years  1860  and  1870, 
under  the  leadership  and  urgency  of  Messrs.  Wheeler,  Allen 
and  H.  N.  Barnum,  but  in  a  recent  report  from  Harpout  it 
was  stated  that  even  in  that  station  there  were,  in  1914,  19 
churches  utterly  unable  to  support  a  pastor  without  aid. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  awful  massacres  of  Protestant  Ar- 
menians in  Asiatic  Turkey  in  1895  and  in  1909  and  for  the 
subsequent  emigration  of  thousands  of  Armenians  to  America, 
all  or  nearly  all  of  the  evangelical  churches  in  Asia  Minor 
would  probably  ere  this  have  become  self-supporting.  In 


FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  123 

1908  the  sums  given  by  natives  for  education  in  missionary 
schools,  for  the  support  of  Protestant-  worship,  and  for  benevo- 
lence amounted  to  $131,242,  and  the  expenditure  of  the  Board, 
for  the  same  year,  for  all  work  in  the  four  missions,  save  the 
salaries  of  the  missionaries,  amounted  to  $70,392;  that  is  to 
say,  the  natives  paid  for  the  general  work  almost  twice  the 
sum  given  by  the  Board.  In  1913  the  people  paid  for  edu- 
cation, the  ministry,  and  benevolent  work  $197,127,  and  dur- 
ing the  10  previous  years  their  gifts  for  the  same  objects 
amounted  to  $1,200,000.  And  let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
sums  were  paid  in  a  land  where  the  average  wage  of  a  com- 
mon laborer  is  about  40  cents,  and  of  an  artisan,  80  cents  to 
a  dollar  a  day.  In  some  places  the  people  have  voluntarily 
adopted  the  practice  of  giving,  each  man,  a  tenth  part  of  his 
income. 

The  fourth  factor  in  the  advancement  of  the  evangelical 
work  in  Turkey  was 

THE  INCULCATION  OF  THE  PRINCIPLE  OF  SELF-GOVERNMENT 

This  principle  was  set  forth  at  length  at  the  time  of  the 
organization  of  the  First  Evangelical  Church  of  Constanti- 
nople. According  to  the  apostolic  plan  a  Christian  church  is 
a  self-governing  body.  This  principle  the  missionaries  have 
observed  in  all  their  relations  with  native  churches,  whether 
self-supporting  or  not.  In  the  government  and  discipline 
of  the  church  the  missionaries  have  not  interfered,  though 
by  invitation  they  have  often  taken  part  in  the  councils 
called  by  the  churches.  Churches,  like  individuals,  learn  the 
art  of  self-government  by  the  mistakes  which  they  make  and 
correct,  and  the  good  order  of  a  church  is  the  fruit  of  ex- 
perience. The  evangelical  churches  were  also  taught  to  form 
associations,  and  according  to  such  a  plan  as  would  meet 
their  own  thought  and  need.  In  1864,  18  years  had 
elapsed  since  the  formation  of  the  first  evangelical  churches 


124  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

in  Turkey.  There  were  then  eight  such  churches  in  Con- 
stantinople and  the  neighboring  province  of  Bithynia  and 
in  Rodosto  on  the  European  shore  of  the  Marmora.  The  first 
association  was  formed  in  the  author's  home  in  September, 
1864,  in  the  city  of  Brousa,  and  was  called  "The  Union  of 
the  Evangelical  Armenian  Churches  of  Bithynia."  Accord- 
ing to  the  constitution  adopted  by  the  pastors  and  delegates 
assembled  and  afterwards  ratified  by  the  churches,  the  con- 
stituent members  were  to  be  the  ordained  ministers  laboring 
in  the  province  of  Bithynia  and  one  delegate  from  each 
church.  Other  ministers,  native  and  foreign,  were  invited  to 
attend  the  meetings  of  the  Union,  with  all  the  privileges  of 
members  except  that  they  were  not  to  vote.  The  objects  of 
the  Union  were  stated  to  be :  the  closer  fellowship  and  co- 
operation of  the  churches,  the  preservation  among  them  of 
good  order,  the  improvement  of  the  spiritual  condition  of 
the  churches,  the  promotion  of  education,  the  prevention  of 
error  and  moral  defection,  and  the  mental  and  spiritual  im- 
provement of  the  ministers.  The  duties  devolving  upon  the 
Union  were:  to  organize  churches,  to  ordain,  install,  and 
dismiss  pastors,  to  give  attention  to  the  choice  and  education 
of  young  men  desiring  to  enter  the  theological  schools,  to 
examine  and  license  candidates  for  the  ministry,  to  visit  par- 
ticular churches  which  requested  a  visitation,  and  to  remove 
difficulties  which  might  have  arisen  in  them.  It  was  also 
provided  that  when  appeals  should  be  made  to  the  Union 
either  by  individuals  or  churches,  both  parties  were  to  be 
examined  in  the  presence  of  each  other,  and  the  decision 
of  the  Union  was  to  be  accepted  as  final.  Meetings  were  to 
be  held  annually,  and  the  moderator  of  each  meeting  of  the 
Union  was  to  hold  over  until  the  next  meeting.  Provision 
was  made  also  for  the  reading  of  one  essay  and  of  one  ex- 
position of  Scripture  at  each  annual  meeting. 

Similar   Unions   were   soon   after   formed   in   the    Central 
Turkey  Mission,  in  the  Eastern  Turkey  Mission,  and  in  the 


FACTORS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  125 

eastern  part  of  the  Western  Turkey  Mission;  also  among 
the  evangelical  Greek  and  Bulgarian  churches.  Since  the 
formation  of  the  Unions  the  missionaries  have  abstained 
from  performing,  of  themselves,  any  ecclesiastical  function. 
The  Unions  have  been  helpful  in  providing  for  the  spiri- 
tual wants  of  the  feeble  churches,  and  have  formed  Home 
Missionary  societies  to  promote  the  work  of  evangelization 
within  their  own  borders  and  to  send  preachers  to  labor 
among  the  poor  Armenians  of  Kourdistan.  The  annual 
meetings  of  the  Unions  have  been  very  profitable  to  the 
native  ministers,  to  the  churches,  and  to  the  attending 
missionaries.  The  Unions  have  been  a  strong  bond  both 
between  the  ministers  and  between  the  churches,  and  have 
raised  the  dignity  and  increased  the  sense  of  responsibility 
of  pastors  and  churches.  A  general  conference  or  synod, 
embracing  all  the  evangelical  ministers  and  churches  of  Tur- 
key has  been  talked  of  and  desired,  but  on  account  of  the  long 
journeys  and  expense  involved  has  not  been  realized. 

The  fifth  factor  in  the  advancement  of  the  evangelical  work 
in  Turkey  was 

THE  PROMOTION  OF  EDUCATION 

The  first  duty  of  the  missionary  was  to  give  the  Bible  to 
the  people  in  the  spoken  language  of  the  land.  But  how  could 
the  Bible  accomplish  any  efficient  work  among  people  when 
90  per  cent  of  the  men  and  almost  100  per  cent  of  the  women 
knew  not  how  to  read?  Such  was  the  situation  in  Turkey, 
taking  the  land  as  a  whole,  when  the  first  missionary  family 
settled  in  Constantinople  in  1831.  Hence  in  the  early  years 
of  their  work  the  missionaries  were  glad  when  they  were 
asked  by  the  teachers  and  leading  men  to  assist  in  reorganiz- 
ing the  elementary  schools  for  boys  already  in  operation 
among  the  Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Turks  of  the  capital. 
There  were  not  a  few  such  schools  among  the  Christian  popu- 


126  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

lation,  towards  the  support  of  which  the  Turkish  government 
rendered  no  aid ;  the  schools,  moreover,  were  without  suitable 
books,  and  the  boys,  seated  on  the  floor  and  rocking  their 
bodies  backward  and  forward,  were  taught  to  repeat,  each 
boy  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  certain  verses  of  the  ancient 
Christian  Scriptures.  The  method  was  the  same  in  the 
Mohammedan  schools,  only  the  Turkish  boys  were  required  to 
memorize  verses  from  the  Koran,  which,  being  in  Arabic, 
the  children  could  not  understand.  It  was  a  happy  way  of 
introducing  the  missionaries  to  the  people  that  they  were 
invited  to  visit  the  elementary  schools  and  show  how  a  school 
ought  to  be  conducted,  and  help  to  provide  primers  and  other 
books  and  blackboards.  The  teachers,  pupils,  and  people 
were  greatly  pleased  with  the  newly  organized  schools  in 
which  the  spoken  languages  were  used. 

The  development  of  the  great  system  of  education  which 
has  covered  Turkey  with  missionary  schools  for  both  sexes  and 
all  ages  from  kindergarten  to  college,  theological  seminary  and 
medical  school, — all  this  is  traced  in  detail  in  Chapters  X, 
XI,  XII,  XIII  and  XIV. 


CHAPTER  VII 

MISSION  ACTIVITIES  IN  STAMBOUL 
THE  MISSION  HOUSE 

IN    October,    1880,   Mrs.    Susan   M.    Schneider    and   Miss 
Martha  J.  Gleason  began  evangelistic  work  in  the  quarter 
called  Gedik  Pasha  in  the  old  city.     Here  they  hired  a  house, 
and  by  music  and  song  and  winsome  ways  soon  gathered  a 
Sunday  school  of  60  scholars.    After  some  years  of  profitable 
labor  these  ladies  withdrew  and  Mrs.  Fannie  M.  Newell  and 
Miss  Olive  N.  Twitchell  (now  Mrs.  L.  S.  Crawford)  succeeded 
them,  and  they,  in  turn,  after  years  of  faithful  service  were 
succeeded  by  Miss  Anna  B.  Jones,  Mrs.  Etta  D.  Marden,  and 
Miss  Annie  M.  Barker.     In  1913  the  large  stone  house,  which 
had   been   rented   for   many   years,   was   purchased   by   the 
Woman's  Board,  and  this  Mission  House  in  Stamboul  ranks 
in  importance  as  a  missionary  'agency  with  the  Bible  House 
and  the  two  Colleges.     The  day  schools  have  been  largely 
patronized  by  Armenians,  Greeks  and  Turks,  and  during  the 
past  30  years  have  made  Gedik  Pasha  quite  an  educational 
center.     Most  of  the  pupils  have  come  from  non-Protestant 
families,  and  the  lady  teachers  have  often  been  invited  to 
visit  their  homes.     From  the  beginning  Sunday  school  work 
has  been  prosecuted  with  vigor  and  success,  with  an  average 
attendance    of    250.     Prayer    meetings   have    been    held,    in 
which  Armenian,  Greek,  and  Turkish  have  been  used,  with 
good  attendance.     After  the  revolution  of  the  Young  Turks 
in  1908  a  Friday  evening  lecture  course,  highly  favored  by 
Turkish  gentlemen  and  often  addressed  by  Turks,  was  estab- 

127 


128  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

lished.  For  many  years  the  congregation  of  the  Langa 
church,  having  no  place  of  worship  of  their  own,  was  invited 
to  the  hall  of  the  Mission  House.  Encouraged  by  the  mis- 
sionary ladies,  many  poor  women  found  relief  in  em- 
broidery work  and  other  forms  of  labor.  In  the  quarter  of 
Koum  Kapou,  on  the  shore  of  the  Marmora,  half  a  mile  below 
the  Mission  House,  a  Coffee-house  and  Reading-room  was 
opened  in  1886,  and  in  a  hall  above,  a  service  in  Turkish  was 
held  the  last  hour  of  every  Sabbath.  The  meeting  was  largely 
attended  by  men — Armenians,  Greeks,  Turks,  and  Jews — and 
was  the  one  place  in  the  city  where  there  was  preaching  for 
men  who  came  to  neither  church  nor  chapel.  The  audience, 
numbering  from  50  to  150,  was  always  orderly  and  attentive. 
Preaching  in  such  a  place  was  like  casting  seed  upon  the 
waters,  but  for  some  20  years  it  afforded  much  satisfaction  to 
the  author.  . 

THE  BIBLE  HOUSE 

When  the  author  reached  Constantinople  in  February, 
1859,  the  office  of  the  treasurer  of  the  American  missions  in 
Turkey  was  in  two  small,  dark  rooms  in  the  great  caravansary 
called  Vezir  Khan  in  Stamboul.  After  a  few  years  a  stone 
building  of  three  stories  was  rented,  but  this  also  soon  proved 
inadequate.  In  1856  Rev.  Isaac  G.  Bliss,  D.D.,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  American  Bible  Society  as  its  agent  for  the 
Levant,  with  Constantinople  as  his  residence.  Years  passed, 
and  one  afternoon  Dr.  Bliss  was  going  by  boat  from  his  nar- 
row quarters  in  the  city  to  his  home  at  Haskeuy  on  the 
Golden  Horn.  The  boat  was  full  of  passengers,  and  while 
he  was  sitting  in  the  stern,  he  heard  a  man,  referring  to  the 
American  missionaries,  ask  his  neighbor  in  Armenian,  "Who 
are  these  people?  What  sort  of  people  are  they?"  The 
person  addressed  replied:  "They  seem  to  be  a  good  sort  of 
people,  but  they  don't  know  how  to  work;  the  Catholics  have 


i 


FIEST    EVANGELICAL   ARMENIAN    CHUECH,    PEEA 


—   ^-"l   Ul 


B-l 


i^^H_.teSft'  Wiffimbff  !w  mm 


THE  BIBLE  HOUSE,   STAMBOUL 


MISSION  ACTIVITIES  IN  STAMBOUL          129 

a  house  of  their  own  and  you  know  where  to  find  them,  but 
these  people  are  sometimes  here  and  sometimes  there."  At 
once  the  thought  came  to  Dr.  Bliss,  Yes,  that  is  just  what  we 
need — a  place  where  people  can  find  us;  if  we  had  such  a 
place,  what  a  help  it  would  be  to  the  general  work !  He  came 
home  full  of  this  idea,  and  the  next  morning  communicated 
his  thought  to  the  missionaries,  who  fully  agreed  with  him. 
He  asked  them  to  write  out  their  opinions,  each  in  his  own 
name,  and  these  opinions  he  sent  to  the  Bible  Society  in  New 
York,  requesting  permission  to  go  to  America,  to  raise  funds 
for  the  erection  of  a  Bible  House  in  Constantinople. 

Permission  was  granted,  and  in  1866  Dr.  Bliss  sailed  for 
America.  He  was  most  successful  in  his  solicitations.  He 
sought  interviews  with  busy  men  whose  character  and  means 
he  had  ascertained,  and  courteously  and  briefly  presented  to 
them  the  claims  of  such  a  building,  and  leaving  with  each  one 
a  printed  statement,  with  no  special  appeal,  he  withdrew. 
When  he  had  raised  $52,000,  he  returned  to  Turkey,  and 
with  the  aid  of  the  missionaries  drew  up  the  plan  of  the 
building.  He  was  most  fortunate  in  securing  a  somewhat 
elevated  site,  on  a  busy  thoroughfare,  with  a  magnificent  view, 
and  only  10  minutes'  walk  from  the  Stamboul  end  of  the 
bridge,  which  crosses  the  Golden  Horn  and  connects  Stam- 
boul with  Galata  and  Pera. 

In  1872,  in  spite  of  all  obstacles,  Dr.  Bliss  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  seeing  the  first  of  the  Bible  House  buildings  finished. 
It  is  a  handsome  building,  of  yellowish  stone,  five  stories  high 
and  fire-proof.  The  shops  on  the  ground  floor  are  rented, 
and  on  the  floors  above  are  the  offices  of  the  agent  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  and  of  the  treasurer  of  the  American 
missions,  with  large  store-rooms  for  Bibles  and  mission  books 
and  rooms  for  editors  and  translators  of  mission  books  and 
periodicals,  and  on  the  top  floor  the  residence  of  the  agent  of 
the  Bible  Society.  A  second  building,  subsequently  erected 


130  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

in  the  rear,  is  rented  for  a  large  printing  establishment,  with 
facilities  for  electrotyping  and  lithographing.  A  third  build- 
ing, on  another  part  of  the  lot,  is  used,  on  the  ground  floor, 
as  a  chapel,  seating  250,  and  on  the  story  above  is  the  resi- 
dence of  the  treasurer  of  the  American  missions.  A  fourth 
building  is  rented  for  shops.  The  total  cost  of  the  land  and 
buildings  has  been  over  $100,000,  of  which  $60,000  was  raised 
by  subscription,  and  the  balance  has  come  from  rents.  The 
income  from  rents  amounts  to  about  $4,000  annually,  and  is 
used  for  taxes  and  insurance,  repairs,  and  enlargement  of 
the  property,  and  for  the  support,  in  part,  of  evangelistic 
services  in  the  chapel  in  the  Greek  and  Turkish  languages. 
The  Bible  House  property  is  administered  by  a  self -perpetu- 
ating board  of  trustees  in  New  York,  organized  under  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,  with  a  local  advisory  commit- 
tee, selected  annually  by  the  board  of  trustees. 

The  four  strategic  points  for  Christian  work  in  Constanti- 
nople, under  American  management,  are  the  Bible  House  and 
the  Mission  House  of  the  Woman's  Board  in  Stamboul,  Robert 
College  for  young  men  and  Constantinople  College  for  young 
women  on  the  European  shore  of  the  Bosphorus.  The  Bible 
House  is  the  center  of  the  publication  and  distribution  work  of 
the  American  Bible  Society  and  the  business  and  literary  cen- 
ter of  the  missions  of  the  American  Board.  It  is  a  noble  and 
fitting  memorial  of  Rev.  Isaac  G.  Bliss,  D.D.  He  was  born  in 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  July  5,  1822,  and  died  at  Assiout, 
Egypt,  February  16,  1889.  Whether  as  a  missionary  of  the 
American  Board  in  Erzroum  (1847-51),  or  as  the  agent  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  (1856-89),  Dr.  Bliss  was  ever  an  ar- 
dent Christian,  a  zealous  laborer  for  Christ  and  a  wise  and 
energetic  business  man.  Cooperating  with  the  agent  of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  he  secured  new  transla- 
tions of  the  Bible  and  the  revision  of  several  modern  versions, 
and  systematized  and  stimulated  Bible  distribution  in  many 


MISSION  ACTIVITIES  IN  STAMBOUL          131 

editions  throughout  Turkey,  Syria,  Egypt,  and  Persia.  He 
corresponded  with  the  missionaries  in  those  lands,  visited 
them  in  their  homes  and  studied  the  religious  needs  of  the 
different  nationalities.  He  sympathized  most  heartily  with 
both  the  missionaries  and  all  other  Christian  workers,  and 
was  always  ready  to  cooperate  with  them.  "In  the  church, 
in  the  Sunday  school,  in  the  prayer  meeting,  in  the  homes  of 
the  people,  in  their  shops,  on  the  Bosphorus  steamers,  by  the 
wayside,  everywhere,  he  was  the  same  earnest,  faithful  disci- 
ple, always  about  his  Master's  business,  and  always  bearing 
with  him  the  Master's  spirit." 

As  indication  of  the  responsible  position  held  by  Dr.  Bliss, 
as  Bible  agent,  the  following  statement  may  be  added:  In 
a  report  of  "Twenty-five  Years  in  the  Levant"  (1858-83) 
Dr.  Bliss  states  that  within  the  period  mentioned  there  was 
an  aggregate  distribution  of  1,883,157  copies  of  the  Bible  and 
integral  parts  thereof,  in  some  30  languages,  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Levant  agencies  of  the  two  great  Bible  Soci- 
eties of  England  and  America.  The  aggregate  sum  returned 
to  the  treasuries  of  the  two  Societies  from  the  sale  of  Bibles 
was  $261,745. 

In  1881  there  were  printed  at  Constantinople  and  Beirut 
57,870  copies  of  the  Bible,  in  whole  volumes  and  in  parts, 
and  for  25  years  the  annual  average  of  copies  printed  was 
17,196.  The  entire  expenditures  of  the  Levant  agency  of 
the  American  Bible  Society,  for  the  25  years  mentioned, 
amounted  to  $674,176,  making  the  annual  cost  to  the  Society 
$26,966. 

Dr.  Bliss '  sudden  and  untimely  death  was  a  great  loss  to 
the  Bible  cause  and  the  mission  work,  but  in  the  good  provi- 
dence of  God  a  worthy  successor  was  found  in  the  person  of 
Rev.  Marcellus  Bowen,  D.D.,  for  years  a  zealous  missionary 
of  the  American  Board  in  Smyrna.  During  the  administra- 
tion of  Dr.  Bowen  the  work  of  Bible  printing  and  distribution 


132  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

has  been  carried  forward  wisely  and  efficiently  in  all  the 
lands  of  the  Levant  agency. 

THE  TREASURY  DEPARTMENT 

For  many  years  the  care  of  the  treasury  of  the  American 
missions  was  confided  to  one  of  the  missionaries,  but  at  length 
the  work  required  the  entire  time  of  one  man.  Kev.  George 
Washburn  was  the  first  regular  treasurer  (1858-68)  and  was 
succeeded  by  Kev.  I.  F.  Pettibone  (1868-81),  and  he,  in  turn, 
in  1881  by  Mr.  William  W.  Peet,  of  Iowa.  Mr.  Peet  had  re- 
ceived a  thorough  business  training  in  the  service  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad,  and  had  filled 
responsible  positions.  He  gave  up  the  opportunity  of  rapid 
and  lucrative  advancement,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  cause  of 
Christ  accepted  a  position  which  offered  no  advancement  and 
promised  only  a  living  salary.  For  35  years  he  has  been  the 
one  financial  medium  between  the  American  Board  and  some 
200  missionaries  in  Turkey.  During  this  period,  he  has  re- 
ceived, guarded  and  disbursed  for  missionary,  educational 
and  charitable  objects,  $14,'424,211.  During  the  year  1911 
there  passed  through  his  office  the  sum  of  $614,701,  which 
was  more  than  double  the  amount  of  the  appropriations  of 
the  Board  to  all  the  missions  in  Turkey. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Peet  was  also  the  custodian  of  the 
funds  of  Robert  College  and  of  the  American  College  for 
Girls.  The  care  of  the  book  depot  at  Constantinople,  the 
distribution  of  mission  books  throughout  the  empire,  and  the 
purchase  and  despatch  of  goods  to  missionaries  in  the  in- 
terior also  devolved  upon  the  treasurer.  At  times,  on  account 
of  war  or  internal  disorder,  the  remittance  of  funds  to  20 
mission  stations  has  been  the  occasion  of  no  little  anxiety,  but 
has  been  effected  without  loss.  Since  the  outbreak  of  the 
great  war  in  Europe,  remittances  have  been  made  through 
the  agents  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  found  in  the  prin- 


MISSION  ACTIVITIES  IN  STAMBOUL          133 

cipal  cities  of  Turkey,  and  by  means  of  the  officials  of  the 
Evkaf  department  of  the  Turkish  government,  who  collect 
and  remit  to  Constantinople  the  taxes  on  lands,  devoted  cen- 
turies ago  to  the  maintenance  of  Mohammedan  worship. 
These  officials  pay  over  the  money  to  the  missionaries,  who 
give  them  drafts  on  the  mission  treasurer  at  Constantinople. 

Years  ago  Mr.  Peet  became  a  student  of  law  through  cor- 
respondence, and  in  due  time  received  a  degree  from  the 
University  of  Michigan.  Both  his  business  and  legal  knowl- 
edge served  him  well  in  settling  with  the  Turkish  authorities 
at  Constantinople  many  troublesome  questions,  and  in  secur- 
ing the  transfer  to  the  American  Board  of  the  legal  title  to 
a  large  amount  of  property  in  the  shape  of  lands  and  of 
dwelling  houses,  school  buildings  and  hospitals  erected 
throughout  the  Turkish  empire.  Until  recent  years  all  this 
property  was  held  in  the  name  of  Turkish  subjects,  and  the 
transfer  of  the  title  to  the  Board  required  years  of  most  pa- 
tient and  persistent  endeavor.  In  all  this  work  Mr.  Peet 
secured  the  support  of  the  representatives  of  the  United 
States  at  Constantinople.  In  fact,  he  became  a  persona  grata 
at  the  American  embassy,  and  in  the  solution  of  many  per- 
plexing questions  his  counsel  was  sought  and  highly  appreci- 
ated by  the  ambassador. 

With  the  assistance  of  Dr.  J.  Henry  House,  of  Salonica,  and 
of  Mr.  Gargiulo,  for  many  years  the  dragoman  of  the  Amer- 
ican embassy,  in  1902  Mr.  Peet  secured  the  release  of  Miss 
Ellen  M.  Stone,  by  the  payment,  under  almost  impossible 
conditions,  of  $66,000  in  gold,  delivered  by  night  to  the  brig- 
ands who  were  in  hiding  in  the  Balkan  mountains.  The  gold, 
weighing  250  pounds,  was  furnished  by  the  Ottoman  Bank 
and  was  tied  up  in  bags  and  roped.  In  accomplishing  this 
feat  Mr.  Peet  and  his  associate  completely  outwitted  both 
the  newspaper  correspondents  and  the  hosts  of  Turkish  of- 
ficers and  soldiers.  For  weeks  the  Turks  followed  his  foot- 
steps day  and  night,  intent  on  both  getting  the  money  and 


134  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

capturing  the  brigands,  who  were  all  Bulgarian  revolution- 
ists. Mr.  Peet  was  equally  intent  on  delivering  Miss  Stone 
and  her  companion,  Mrs.  Tsilka,  and  the  baby  born  in  cap- 
tivity, and  the  missionary  won  out.  Mr.  Peet  owes  it  both  to 
himself  and  to  history  to  publish  the  full  story  of  this  ex- 
ploit. 

During  the  author's  missionary  service  of  51  years,  there 
occurred  in  Turkey  epidemics  of  cholera  (in  one  of  which, 
in  1865,  60,000  people  died  in  Constantinople  in  the  course 
of  two  months),  several  wide-spread  famines,'  two  wars,  and 
six  massacres.  As  a  result  of  these  calamities  there  was  ter- 
rible suffering  among  all  classes  of  the  people,  and  in  behalf 
of  the  sufferers  the  missionaries  and  others  made  appeals  for 
aid  both  in  Europe  and  America,  and  on  every  occasion  there 
was  a  generous  response.  The  donors  of  the  money  knew  of 
no  trustworthy  agents  through  whom  the  distribution  could 
be  made  other  than  the  missionaries,  and  to  them  they  ap- 
pealed. The  missionaries  undertook  the  work,  and  made  the 
distribution  without  regard  to  race  or  religion,  with  regard, 
in  fact,  simply  to  the  needs  of  the  sufferers,  and  in  such  a  way 
as  to  secure  the  approval  both  of  the  people  and  of  the  Turk- 
ish authorities.  Thus  the  missionaries  acquired  a  reputation 
for  honesty,  efficiency,  courage,  and  benevolence,  and  this 
reputation  was  a  great  asset  in  their  Christian  work.  In  all  the 
period  of  his  treasurership,  money  in  aid  of  sufferers  amount- 
ing in  all  to  several  millions  of  dollars,  was  sent  to  Mr.  Peet, 
and  all  the  service  he  rendered  was  a  labor  of  love,  and  was 
discharged  without  the  loss  of  a  dollar. 

To  the  performance  of  his  manifold  and  arduous  services — 
services  financial,  legal,  diplomatic,  and  charitable — Mr.  Peet 
brought  Christian  devotion,  rare  business  ability,  perfect  in- 
tegrity, sound  judgment,  imperturbable  coolness,  inflexible  de- 
termination and  infinite  patience.  What  a  fortune  such  qual- 
ities as  these  would  have  brought  to  our  esteemed  friend  in 
the  business  world,  if  he  had  chosen  to  continue  therein.  To 


MISSION  ACTIVITIES  IN  STAMBOUL          135 

him,  however,  the  plaudit  of  the  Master — "Well  done,  good 
and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord" — 
will  be  an  ample  reward.  Happy  the  missionary  society 
which  has  such  business  servants  both  at  home  and  abroad ! 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  LITERARY  AND  THE  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS 
THE  LITERARY  DEPARTMENT 

ON  account  of  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  the  first 
missionaries  sent  to  Turkey,  remained  for  several  years  on 
the  Island  of  Malta,  where  they  were  safe  under  British  rule. 
While  waiting  in  Malta  they  engaged  in  the  study  of  the 
Greek,  the  Italian,  and  the  Turkish  languages,  and  gave  them- 
selves mostly  to  literary  work.  The  first  mission  press  was 
established  in  Malta  in  1822,  and  remained  there  for  11  years. 
Here  33  tracts  were  printed  in  Italian,  90  tracts  and  books 
in  modern  Greek,  and  five  tracts  in  Turkish,  written  with 
Armenian  letters.  Many  of  these  tracts  were  sent  to  Turkey, 
and  some  were  used  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  awaken  certain 
Armenians  and  guide  them  to  Christ,  while,  as  yet,  they  had 
seen  no  missionary.  Several  of  these  Armenians  became  very 
useful  assistants  in  the  publication  work. 

In  1833  Messrs.  Temple  and  Hallock  left  Malta  and  estab- 
lished the  mission  press  in  Smyrna,  and  hither,  subsequently, 
came  Messrs.  Adger  and  Calhoun,  and  in  1838  Rev.  Elias 
Riggs.  Here  some  20,000,000  pages  of  books  and  tracts  were 
printed,  mostly  in  Armenian.  In  1853  the  press  was  re- 
moved to  Constantinople,  where  it  has  remained  till  now. 
Another  press  was  established  by  the  American  Board  in 
Beirut,  for  the  printing  of  the  Bible  and  other  books  in 
Arabic,  which  was  carried  on  for  many  years  under  the  di- 
rection of  Dr.  Eli  Smith  and  Dr.  C.  V.  A.  Van  Dyck.  Finally, 
in  1870,  on  the  union  of  the  New  and  the  Old  School  Presby- 

136 


LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          137 

terians,  all  missionary  work  of  the  American  Board  in  Syria 
was  transferred  to  the  Presbyterian  Board. 

From  the  beginning  literary  work  necessarily  engaged  the 
attention  of  many  missionaries.  As  has  already  been  ex- 
plained on  previous  pages,  Bible  translation  was  the  life-work 
of  Drs.  William  Goodell,  W.  G.  Shauffler,  Elias  Riggs,  Eli 
Smith,  and  C.  V.  A.  Van  Dyck,  and  the  Armenian,  Bulgarian, 
Turkish,  and  Arabic  versions  are  an  imperishable  memorial 
both  to  the  missionaries  and  to  their  able  and  honored  native 
assistants.  The  expense  of  the  publication  of  the  various  edi- 
tions of  the  Bible,  and,  to  a  large  extent,  the  expense  of  trans- 
lation, was  borne  by  the  British  and  Foreign  and  the  Amer- 
ican Bible  Societies.  The  modern  Greek  version  was  made 
by  Greek  scholars  under  the  direction  and  at  the  expense  of 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  Thus  these  Bible 
Societies  have  contributed  very  greatly  to  the  success  of  the 
missionary  work  in  the  Turkish  empire.  The  sum  total  of 
expenditure  by  the  American  Bible  Society  alone,  for  the 
translation,  printing  and  distribution  of  the  Scriptures  in 
Turkey  until  now  (1831-1915)  has  been  $2,804,104. 

Besides  the  above-mentioned  missionaries  Rev.  George  F. 
Herrick,  D.D.,  rendered  invaluable  assistance  in  Bible  trans- 
lation. He  was  a  member  of  the  large  committee,  organized 
by  direction  of  the  British  and  American  Bible  Societies  for 
the  revision  of  the  several  Turkish  versions.  This  commit- 
tee, consisting  of  Dr.  Riggs  and  Dr.  Herrick,  of  the  American 
Board,  of  Rev.  R.  H.  Weakley,  of  the  Church  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  England,  of  Rev.  Avedis  Constantian,  an  able  Ar- 
menian scholar,  and  of  two  Turkish  scribes  and  a  Christian 
Arab  Kourd,  was  engaged  on  the  revision  for  five  years 
(1873-78),  and  produced  a  version  which  has  been  printed 
in  many  editions — with  Arabic  letters  for  the  Turks,  Ar- 
menian letters  for  Turkish-speaking  Armenians,  and,  some 
years  later,  with  Greek  letters  for  Turkish-speaking  Greeks. 
This  version,  subsequently  simplified  in  style  by  members  of 


138  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

the  original  committee,  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  Rev.  H.  0. 
Dwight,  Dr.  Edward  Riggs,  Professor  A.  Bezjian,  of  Aintab, 
and  Professor  S.  Terzian,  of  Marash,  and  competent  Turkish 
scholars,  has  proved  highly  acceptable  to  all  peoples  who 
speak  Turkish.  Up  to  1911  at  least  500,000  copies  of  the 
Turkish  Scriptures,  in  whole  volumes  or  in  parts,  were  put 
in  circulation. 

By  his  mastery  of  the  Turkish,  by  his  familiarity  with  the 
Hebrew  and  Greek  languages,  and  by  his  scrupulous  exact- 
ness Dr.  Herrick  was  eminently  fitted  for  the  delicate  and 
difficult  work  of  Bible  translation.  Commissioned  at  the 
outset  as  a  missionary  to  the  Mohammedans  of  Turkey,  Dr. 
Herrick  sought  to  reach  them,  not  only  by  public  preaching 
and  private  interviews,  but  also  by  the  press.  In  explanation 
of  Christian  doctrine  and  worship  he  published,  during  his 
missionary  career  of  52  years,  six  books  of  a  religious  char- 
acter in  Turkish,  written  with  Arabic  letters,  and  four  educa- 
tional books,  including  an  elaborately  compiled  and  finely 
illustrated  astronomy,  also  many  volumes  in  Turkish  written 
with  Armenian  letters.  A  carefully  prepared  volume  in 
Osmanli  Turkish,  entitled,  "The  Unique  Person,  Teachings, 
Works,  and  Claims  of  Jesus  Christ, ' '  was  issued  in  the  last 
year  of  his  residence  in  Constantinople  (1910-11). 

The  publication  department  of  the  missions,  besides  trans- 
lations of  the  Bible,  was  engaged  from  the  outset  in  preparing 
school  books,  both  for  elementary  schools  and  for  high  schools 
and  colleges.  When  missionaries  first  came  to  Turkey  such 
a  thing  as  a  primer  to  teach  children  to  read  was  unknown, 
and  the  primers  prepared  by  the  missionaries  were  esteemed 
a  great  boon.  Then  followed  text-books  in  Arithmetic,  Geog- 
raphy, Grammar,  Algebra,  Geometry,  Astronomy,  Physi- 
ology, Intellectual  Philosophy,  and  Moral  Science.  On  the 
occasion  of  the  publication  of  the  Physical  Geography  in 
Turkish,  written  with  Arabic  letters,  an  elegant  copy  was 
presented  to  his  Majesty  the  Sultan,  and  received  high  com- 


LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          139 

mendation.  A  costly  dictionary,  English-Turkish,  prepared 
by  the  eminent  Turkish  scholar,  Sir  James  Redhouse,  was 
published  at  the  expense  of  a  generous  American  friend,  Mr. 
Wheelwright,  of  Newburyport,  Massachusetts.  Later  a 
Turkish-English  dictionary,  by  the  same  author,  and  edited 
by  Dr.  Henry  0.  Dwight,  was  published  at  the  expense  of 
the  American  Board.  For  theological  schools  and  for  general 
Christian  culture  and  worship,  works  on  the  Evidences  of 
Christianity,  History  of  the  Church,  History  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, Natural  and  Systematic  Theology,  Christian  Doctrine, 
Confessions  of  Faith,  Butler 's  Analogy,  a  Bible  Dictionary, 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  devotional  and  doctrinal  books  and 
tracts,  commentaries,  and  hymn  books  have  been  published, 
some  in  one  language  and  some  in  several.  The  Armenian 
hymn  and  tune  book,  in  the  10th  edition  (1910),  contained 
420  hymns  and  six  Gregorian  chants,  the  Turkish  hymn  and 
tune  book,  published  with  both  Armenian  and  Greek  letters, 
and  in  1911  with  Arabic  letters,  contained  247  hymns,  the 
Bulgarian  hymn  and  tune  book  contained  over  600  hymns, 
and  the  Greek  hymn  and  tune  book,  a  smaller  number.  Some 
of  these  hymns  were  original,  composed  by  missionaries  or 
by  natives,  but  most  of  them  were  translations  of  the  best 
hymns,  ancient  and  modern,  in  the  English  language,  and  all 
were  set  to  the  choicest  tunes.  Several  books  for  the  blind 
have  been  prepared  in  the  languages  of  Turkey  and  published 
in  London. 

The  missionaries  have  endeavored  to  provide  the  different 
nationalities,  not  only  with  versions  of  the  Bible  and  with 
religious  and  educational  books,  but  also  with  interesting 
and  instructive  books  for  general  circulation.  Thus  they 
have  wished  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  low  literature, 
often  irreligious,  infidel,  and  immoral,  coming  from  the  coun- 
tries of  Europe.  The  titles  of  the  various  editions  of  the 
Bible  and  of  the  religious,  devotional,  and  educational  books 
and  tracts,  published  and  distributed  to  all  parts  of  Turkey, 


140  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

have  numbered  about  1,000.  Four  million  copies  of  the  whole 
Bible  and  of  parts  of  the  same  in  the  various  translations, 
and  more  than  4,000,000  copies  of  other  books  have  been 
put  in  circulation  since  1831.  Books  have  been  uniformly 
sold  at  a  price  sufficient  to  cover  the  cost  of  publication,  while 
the  Scriptures,  published  by  the  Bible  Societies,  have  been 
sold  somewhat  cheaper. 

The  mission  press,  while  still  in  Smyrna,  issued  for  several 
years  a  monthly  magazine  which  was  much  esteemed  for 
its  useful  and  instructive  intelligence.  In  January,  1855, 
the  mission  began  to  publish  in  Constantinople  in  the  Ar- 
menian language  a  weekly  religious  newspaper,  called  the 
Avedaper,  a  word  which  means  "Bringer  of  Good  News." 
From  the  beginning  of  1860  the  same  paper  was  published 
in  the  Turkish  language,  written  with  Armenian  letters,  for 
Turkish  speaking  Armenians,  and  beginning  with  1872,  in 
Turkish,  written  with  Greek  letters,  for  Turkish  speaking 
Greeks.  The  first  two  forms  bore  the  name  Avedaper,  and 
the  last  form  the  name  Angeliaforos,  the  Greek  equivalent 
of  Avedaper.  For  many  years  a  monthly  illustrated  paper 
for  children  in  Armenian,  in  Armeno-Turkish  and  in  Greco- 
Turkish,  was  also  published,  and  this  paper  in  Armenian, 
called  the  Child's  Avedaper,  was  continued  until  1915. 

Though  subject  to  the  same  severe  press  laws  as  all  other 
periodicals  in  Turkey,  the  mission  papers  have  never  been 
suspended,  save  for  a  period  of  a  few  days,  and  then  only 
three  times  in  55  years.  The  editors  of  the  Avedaper  have 
been  Dr.  H.  G.  0.  Dwight,  to  1860;  Dr.  Edwin  E.  Bliss, 
to  1872 ;  Dr.  Joseph  K.  Greene,  to  1884* ;  Dr.  H.  S.  Barnum, 

*  Note  by  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Herrick:  The  truth  of  history  requires  an  added 
word  here.  Dr.  Greene  was  the  editor  of  six  papers — three  weeklies  and  three 
monthlies — with  but  two  assistants,  never  more  than  three,  in  the  work  of 
translation,  correspondence  and  proof  reading.  His  feeling  of  responsibility 
for  the  work  extended  to  every  detail.  He  always  read  one,  often  two  proofs 
of  the  papers,  and  much  of  the  correspondence  was  done  by  himself.  Dr. 
Greene's  leading  editorials  numbered  more  than  600.  He  had  no  vacation 
except-  twice  in  those  12  years.  He  worked  10  or  12  hours  a  day  six  days 


LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          141 

to  1908,  and  Rev.  Herbert  M.  Allen,  to  1911.  Several  years 
ago  the  Angeliaforos  was  discontinued  for  reasons  of  economy. 
In  1910  Rev.  H.  K.  Krikorian,  formerly  professor  in  Central 
Turkey  College,  and  for  several  years  assistant  editor  of 
the  Avedaper,  began  the  publication  of  a  Turkish  paper, 
written  with  Armenian  letters  and  called  the  Rdhnuma 
(Guide).  As  Mr.  Krikorian 's  object  was  to  meet  the  wishes 
of  the  Turkish-speaking  Protestants  and  further  the  cause  of 
Christ  in  Turkey,  the  missionaries  welcomed  the  publication 
of  this  independent  Protestant  paper,  and  decided  to  dis- 
continue the  publication  of  the  Armeno-Turkish  Avedaper. 
With  pleasure  we  can  add  that  for  the  past  five  years  the 
Rahnuma  has  been  conducted  with  wisdom  and  prudence,  has 
served  both  the  cause  of  religion  and  the  interests  of  the 
country,  and  has  met  with  very  considerable  success. 

After  the  lamented  death  of  Mr.  Allen  in  1911,  Dr.  Maca! 
lum,  for  years  instructor  in  the  Marash  Theological  Seminary, 
assumed  charge  of  the  Armenian  Avedaper.  Fortunately, 
in  1914  he  was  able  to  secure  as  associate  editors  the  pastors 
of  two  of  the  evangelical  churches  of  Constantinople,  Rev. 
H.  A.  Jejizian  and  Rev.  A.  B.  Schmavonian.  It  is  hoped 
that  outside  support  may  be  secured  for  the  paper,  and  that 
soon  the  editorship  may  pass  wholly  into  the  hands  of  native 
pastors.  Should  this  happily  occur,  the  object  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, long  in  view,  would  be  realized,  and  the  evangelical 
Christians  of  Turkey  would  have  two  independent  papers, 
one  in  Armenian  and  one  in  Turkish. 

The  missionary  periodicals,  printed  for  a  good  part  of  the 
time  in  three  forms,  have  accomplished  a  great  work.  They 
have  carried  the  message  of  the  Gospel  to  many  persons  in 
all  parts  of  Asia  Minor  who  have  not  professed  themselves 

in  the  week,  leaving  his  home  at  7  o'clock  A.  M.  summer  and  winter,  entering 
it  at  6  P.  M.  and  finishing  the  day  with  two  hours'  work  in  the  evening. 

Who  can  measure  the  educative  value  to  the  10,000  readers  of  those  Christian 
messengers,  which  were  to  the  vast  majority  of  them  the  only  periodical  that 
they  ever  saw. 


142  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Protestants,  have  ministered  to  the  intellectual,  moral,  and 
material  welfare  of  the  people,  have  given  a  reliable  sum- 
mary of  weekly  news,  have  afforded  to  the  evangelical 
churches  of  Turkey,  many  of  them  widely  separated,  a 
medium  of  communication  with  one  another,  have  informed 
them  of  important  religious  and  other  movements  in  all  parts 
of  the  world,  and  have  given  to  correspondents  in  Turkey 
and  other  lands  the  opportunity  to  express  their  views  on 
many  subjects.  In  a  country  of  unending  and  distressing 
poverty  the  papers  have  had  a  respectable  list  of  subscribers, 
but  have  never  been  able  to  pay  the  cost  of  publication. 
Many  times  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Western  Turkey  mis- 
sion has  taken  up  the  question  of  suspending  the  periodicals 
for  the  sake  of  economy,  but  every  time,  on  demand  of  the 
people,  it  has  voted  to  continue  them. 

For  many  years  the  mission  published  also  a  Bulgarian 
paper,  the  Zornitza  (Morning  Star),  which,  under  the  editor- 
ship of  Dr.  T.  L.  Byington,  was  an  efficient  organ  and  was 
highly  appreciated.  Like  Robert  College,  the  Zornitza  was 
an  important  agency  for  the  enlightenment  of  the  Bulgarian 
people.  Fortunately,  years  ago,  this  paper  was  transferred 
to  able  native  hands,  and  still  continues  its  honored  career. 

The  literary  work  of  the  mission  has  from  the  outset  been  in 
the  hands  of  able  men.  Among  the  pioneer  missionaries  Dr. 
H.  G.  0.  Dwight  and  Dr.  George  W.  Wood,  biographical 
sketches  of  whom  have  been  given,  through  various  publica- 
tions rendered  valuable  service. 

Rev.  Edwin  E.  Bliss,  D.D.,  was  a  worthy  successor  to  the 
pioneer  missionaries.  Born  in  Vermont  in  1817,  he  died  in 
Constantinople  in  1892.  He  was  a  college  mate  at  Amherst 
with  Richard  S.  Storrs,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Roswell  D. 
Hitchcock,  Daniel  W.  Poor,  and  other  distinguished  men. 
Commissioned  by  the  American  Board  in  1843,  he  labored 
at  Trebizond  and  Marsovan  until  1856,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Constantinople.  Here  in  every  form  of  service, 


LITEEAEY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          143 

but  mostly  in  the  publication  department,  he  served  the  cause 
of  Christ  for  36  years.  A  man  of  broad  mind,  sound  judg- 
ment, and  sweet  humor,  he  was  a  delightful  companion  and 
invaluable  missionary.  He  loved  the  people  and  they  greatly 
loved  and  honored  him.  His  excellent  wife,  Mrs.  Isabella 
Porter  Bliss,  of  Portland,  Maine,  for  nearly  half  a  cexftury 
made  for  him  a  home  which  was  a  foretaste  of  heaven. 

Eev.  I.  F.  Pettibone,  D.  D.,  another  worthy  successor  of 
the  pioneer  missionaries  and  co-laborer  with  Dr.  Bliss  for 
many  years,  was  born  in  Stockholm,  New  York,  in  1824,  and 
died  in  Auburndale,  Massachusetts,  in  1897.  Appointed  a 
missionary  in  1855,  he  made  extensive  tours  in  eastern  Asia 
Minor,  was  a  teacher  in  the  theological  seminary  at  Marsovan, 
for  more  than  13  years  was  mission  treasurer  at  Constanti- 
nople, and  in  nearly  40  years  of  service  gave  most  of  his 
time  to  literary  work.  Whether  as  teacher,  treasurer,  archi- 
tect or  writer,  Dr.  Pettibone 's  work  was  highly  appreciated. 
There  were  three  men  in  the  Western  Turkey  Mission— 
Goodell,  Bliss,  and  Pettibone — who,  by  a  sweet  and  charming 
humor,  relieved  many  a  warm  discussion  in  annual  meeting 
and  station  conference.  Dr.  Pettibone  was  intensely  patri- 
otic, and  for  one  year  of  the  civil  war  (1864)  rendered  ad- 
mirable service  as  chaplain  of  the  Seventy-fourth  Illinois 
regiment  of  infantry.  Some  of  his  fellow-soldiers  were 
happy  to  wrap  the  dear  old  flag  around  his  casket  and  act 
as  bearers. 

Eev.  Henry  0.  D  wight,  LL.D.,  son  of  the  pioneer,  Dr. 
Dwight,  now  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  American  Bible 
Society,  and  Dr.  George  F.  Herrick,  for  many  years  rendered 
great  service  to  the  publication  department.  Indeed,  when 
a  few  years  ago,  the  work  of  the  department  was  almost 
suspended  for  lack  of  funds,  Dr.  Herrick  visited  America  and 
collected  a  very  considerable  sum  to  continue  the  work. 

Dr.  Henry  S.  Barnum,  editor  of  the  Avedaper  and  member 
of  the  publication  committee  for  25  years,  with  a  facile  pen, 


144  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

a  fertile  mind,  sound  views,  a  complete  familiarity  with  the 
needs  of  the  people,  and  untiring  devotion,  made  an  indelible 
impression  on  a  great  number  of  readers  throughout  Turkey. 
Every  week  of  every  year  during  the  long  period  of  his 
editorship  he  preached  the  simple  Gospel  of  Christ  to  more 
people  than  any  other  one  preacher.  His  Gospel  was  always 
a  Gospel  of  love  and  good  will,  with  no  harshness  and  no 
denunciation.  He  had  a  happy  way  of  meeting  every  op- 
poser,  and  a  ready  answer  to  every  objector.  The  people  of 
Turkey  will  never  forget  his  service.  He  died  in  Verona, 
New  Jersey,  December  10,  1915. 

The  publication  department  consisted,  for  many  years,  of 
four  members,  and  was  sustained  by  the  Board  with  a  liberal 
annual  appropriation ;  for  20  years,  however,  the  missionaries 
engaged  in  special  literary  work  have  been  but  two,  latterly 
one,  and  the  annual  appropriation  has  sufficed  merely  to  meet 
the  deficits  in  the  publication  of  the  periodicals  and  to  print 
the  annual  Sunday  School  Lesson  Books.  Thus,  while  there 
is  throughout  Turkey  an  ever-increasing  demand  for  a  Chris- 
tian literature,  through  lack  of  support  the  publication  de- 
partment has,  to  a  large  extent,  lost  the  opportunity  to  in- 
struct and  guide  the  minds  of  the  rising  generation.  In 
truth  the  American  Board  requires  double  its  present  revenue 
in  order  fittingly  to  carry  forward  the  various  departments 
of  its  work  and  realize  the  great  mission  with  which  it  is 
intrusted  by  the  Congregational  Churches  of  America. 

THE  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT 

Within  25  years  after  the  arrival  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Goodell 
in  Constantinople  (1831),  three  well  trained  Christian  physi- 
cians were  sent  by  the  American  Board  to  the  eastern  parts 
of  Asia  Minor.  They  were  Dr.  Asahel  Grant,  Dr.  Henry 
Lobdell,  and  Dr.  Azariah  Smith.  The  first  labored  among 
the  mountain  Nestorians  of  Kourdistan;  the  second  in  the 


ANNIE    TRACY    RIGGS    MEMORIAL    HOSPITAL,    HARPOUT 


AMERICAN  MISSION   HOSPITAL,    TALAS 


^ 


'*   • 


I  ,*v 


LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          145 

valley  of  the  Euphrates,  with  residence  at  Mosul,  and  the 
third  in  Central  Turkey,  at  Aintab.  These  men  were  sent 
to  do  missionary  work,  with  the  expectation  that  their  medi- 
cal skill  would  ensure  their  safety  and  open  to  them  the 
opportunity  to  tell  the  good  news  of  a  Saviour  to  the  suffer- 
ing people.  This  expectation  was  abundantly  fulfilled.  The 
story  of  Dr.  Grant's  perilous  journeys,  remarkable  escapes, 
and  wonderful  influence  as  a  physician  is  told  in  the  book, 
"Dr.  Grant  and  the  Mountain  Nestorians."  His  patients 
were  the  Persian  governor  of  the  province,  two  princes  of 
the  royal  family,  Persian  nobles,  Moslems,  and  Nestorians. 
He  was  thronged  with  patients,  sick  with  all  manner  of  dis- 
ease. He  gained  a  great  reputation  by  the  removal  of  catar- 
act and  the  consequent  restoration  of  sight.  "Those  relieved 
from  suffering  were  ready  to  kiss  his  feet  or  even  his  shoes 
at  the  door." 

Dr.  Lobdell  passed  through  Aintab  on  his  way  to  Mosul 
in  1852.  In  1846  an  American  missionary  had  been  driven 
from  Aintab  amid  a  shower  of  stones.  Dr.  Lobdell,  however, 
was  treated  with  the  highest  respect,  and  the  change  was 
due,  mainly,  to  the  fact  that  he  was  known  as  a  physician. 
All  classes,  Mohammedans  as  well  as  Christians,  several  hun- 
dred in  all,  signed  a  petition  begging  him  to  remain  in 
Aintab.  "Gray-haired  men  wept  when  told  that  he  must 
go."  After  reaching  Mosul  he  was  besieged  by  patients  of 
every  class  and  description,  the  majority  being  Moham- 
medans. He  himself  declared:  "Many  persons  consider  me 
a  magician.  When  I  ask,  'What  is  the  matter?'  they  reply, 
'  You  know. '  I  am  confident  that  I  do  twice  as  much  good 
here  by  my  knowledge  of  medicine  as  I  could  do  without  it. ' ' 
"The  Memoir. of  Dr.  Lobdell"  is  a  most  interesting  book. 

Dr.  Azariah  Smith  was  a  man  of  wide  and  accurate  scholar- 
ship, and  his  reputation  as  a  physician  still  survives  him  in 
the  Central  Turkey  mission.  By  his  medical  skill,  his  win- 
ning manners  and  his  warm  Christian  spirit  he  entirely 


146  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

turned  the  tide  of  public  sentiment  in  Aintab,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  opening  the  way  for  the  wonderful  evangeli- 
cal work.  All  the  above-mentioned  men,  worn  out  by  their 
professional  labors,  died  early,  deeply  and  widely  mourned 
by  the  people  of  the  land.  Like  Jesus  they  healed  those  who 
were  sick  in  body  and  preached  the. Gospel  to  those  who  were 
morally  and  spiritually  diseased. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  missionary  work  in  Turkey,  a  few 
physicians  of  European  education  were  found  in  the  sea- 
board cities — Constantinople,  Smyrna,  and  Beirut — but  in 
Asia  Minor,  with  a  population  of  12,000,000,  except  a 
few  army  doctors  stationed  at  military  posts,  the  only  physi- 
cians to  be  found  were  men  without  professional  training, 
whose  practice  consisted  mainly  of  blood-letting  and  purging. 
There  were  no  surgeons  except  bone-setters,  ignorant  men  who 
had  not  the  least  knowledge  of  anatomy;  no  dentists  except 
barbers,  who  pulled  out  teeth  with  a  jerk.  In  time  of  child- 
birth the  only  attendants  were  midwives,  rude  and  ignorant 
women.  Hence,  on  occasions  of  serious  illness,  missionaries 
were  unable  to  secure  medical  treatment,  and  not  infrequently 
were  incapacitated  for  work,  or  were  obliged,  at  large  expense 
of  time  and  money,  to  go  to  America.  Sometimes  it  occurred 
that  under  these  circumstances  the  treatment  came  too  late. 
Finally  the  American  Board  awoke  to  the  necessity  of  send- 
ing medical  missionaries,  primarily  for  the  sake  of  the  mis- 
sionary families,  and,  secondarily,  for  the  general  influence 
of  medical  practice  among  the  people. 

The  first  medical  missionary,  who  was  not  also  an  ordained 
minister,  sailed  from  Boston  in  company  with  the  author 
and  his  wife  in  January,  1859.  He  was  Dr.  Henry  S.  West, 
born  at  Binghamton,  New  York,  January  21,  1827,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Yale  College  and  of  the  Medical  College  of  New  York 
City.  He  was  a  man  of  small  stature,  of  genial  manners, 
modest  and  unassuming,  who  loved  his  profession  passion- 
ately, and  devoted  his  life  to  the  good  of  his  fellow-men. 


LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          147 

He  was  stationed  at  Sivas,  500  miles  east  of  Constantinople. 
For  17  years  he  attended  to  the  medical  wants  of  a  large 
number  of  missionary  families,  located,  in  some  cases,  hun- 
dreds of  miles  from  his  home.  All  his  journeys  were  made 
on  horseback,  in  perils  of  high  mountains  and  swollen  streams, 
often  in  stormy  weather,  and  in  perils  of  merciless  robbers. 
He  was  called  to  practice  in  all  branches  of  medicine  and 
surgery,  and  was  so  successful  that  patients  came  to  him 
from  all  parts  of  central  Asia  Minor.  He  educated  19  young 
Armenians  as  physicians,  taking  them  through  the  various 
branches  of  medical  study,  unaided  and  alone,  and  some  of 
these  men  became  eminent  as  doctors.  He  performed  some 
1,400  operations  on  the  eye,  13  times  he  was  called  to  operate 
for  strangulated  hernia,  and  his  cases  of  lithotomy  amounted 
to  over  150.  He  served  the  very  poor  without  charge,  but 
required  fees  of  those  who  were  able  to  pay.  He  received 
only  the  ordinary  salary  of  a  missionary,  and  turned  over 
all  his  fees,  amounting  to  $25,000,  to  the  mission.  Thus  was 
formed  "The  West  Fund  for  Chapel  Building,"  and  with 
aid  from  this  fund  many  small  Protestant  churches  were  able 
to  erect  chapels  and  school  houses.  He  died  at  Sivas,  April  1, 
1876.  During  his  last  illness  prayers  were  offered  for  his 
recovery,  not  only  in  the  Protestant  chapels  but  also  in  the 
Armenian  churches  and  Mohammedan  mosques.  Thousands 
of  people  accompanied  his  body  to  the  grave,  for  they  felt 
that  they  had  lost  a  public  benefactor.  "It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  of  him  that,  unaided  and  alone,  by  precept  and  ex- 
ample, he  elevated  the  standard  of  medical  practice  through- 
out Asia  Minor."  So  wide-spread  and  beneficial  was  the 
influence  of  Dr.  West,  so  helpful  to  the  missionary  families 
and  to  the  cause,  that  the  American  Board  began  to  send 
physicians  to  other  cities  of  Asia  Minor. 

Many  of  the  physicians  have  given  medical  instruction  to 
promising  young  men,  some  of  whom  have  become  their 
assistants,  while  not  a  few  have  continued  their  studies  in 


148  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

the  Imperial  Medical  School  at  Constantinople,  or  in  the 
Medical  School  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College  at  Beirut, 
or  in  Europe  or  America.  In  each  of  the  medical  centers 
the  missionary  physician,  as  soon  as  possible,  has  secured  a 
house  where  he  could  give  attention  to  those  patients  who 
were  severely  ill,  or  who  had  undergone  an  operation  and 
could  not  be  moved  without  endangering  life.  From  these 
small  beginnings  they  have  gradually  enlarged  their  accom- 
modations for  patients,  as  they  were  able  to  secure  assistance 
from  native  and  foreign  friends.  Thus  the  doctors,  in  the 
course  of  years,  have  built  up  hospitals  without  much  aid 
from  the  American  Board.  In  the  three  missions  in  Asiatic 
Turkey  there  are,  at  present  10  mission  hospitals,  located  at 
Marsovan,  Sivas,  Harpout,  Erzroum,  Van,  Diarbekir,  Mardin, 
Aintab,  Adana,  Talas  (Cesarea).  Besides  these  there  are 
hospitals  not  connected  with  the  American  Board,  but  under 
American  management,  at  Konia  and  Beirut. 

The  Anatolia  Hospital  at  Marsovan  is  a  magnificent  stone 
structure  four  stories  high,  with  adjacent  dispensary  and 
laundry;  built  almost  wholly  through  the  indefatigable  ef- 
forts of  Dr.  Jesse  K.  Marden  and  his  associates.  One  of  the 
best  hospitals  in  Turkey,  it  is  the  legitimate  outcome  of  16 
years  of  medical  service.  It  is  to  have  electric  power  and 
all  modern  equipment  for  surgical  and  laboratory  work.  In 
1914  it  had  four  physicians,  one  dispenser,  four  nurses  and 
10  in  training,  and  about  20  other  assistants  and  servants. 
The  same  year  the  in-patients  were  921,  the  out-patients  in 
the  dispensary  3,186,  the  surgical  cases  671,  the  medical  cases 
226,  the  obstetrical  cases  24.  Of  the  patients,  340  were  Ar- 
menians, 296  Turks,  241  Greeks,  and  the  remaining  44  were 
of  13  different  races. 

The  West  Memorial  Hospital  at  Sivas  in  1914  had  one  mis- 
sionary physician,  Dr.  Charles  E.  Clark,  assisted  by  Dr. 
Levon  Sewny,  an  esteemed  Armenian  physician,  one  Swiss 
and  one  American  nurse  and  six  native  nurses.  In  1914  the 


LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          149 

in-door  and  out-door  patients  numbered  2,660,  and  the  total 
treatments  given  were  about  6,000.  The  patients  came  from 
175  towns  and  villages.  In  reply  to  urgent  requests  in  1915 
Dr.  Sewny  and  two  nurses  went  to  Erzroum,  and  ministered 
to  a  large  number  of  sick  and  wounded  officers  and  soldiers 
in  the  American  hospital.  Dr.  Sewny  and  one  of  the  nurses, 
Miss  Marie  Zenger,  fell  victims  to  typhus  fever  and  their 
untimely  death  was  greatly  deplored. 

The  Annie  Tracy  Riggs  Memorial  Hospital,  at  Mezereh 
near  Harpout,  in  1914  had  a  staff  consisting  of  Dr.  Henry 
H.  Atkinson,  Dr.  Ruth  A.  Parmelee,  two  foreign  and  seven 
native  nurses.  In  1914  there  were  433  in-patients,  and  26,425 
treatments  were  given  in  three  dispensaries.  The  major 
operations  were  273.  The  patients  came  from  245  towns  and 
villages,  and  represented  15  nationalities  and  nine  religions. 
In  1915  Dr.  Atkinson  devoted  himself  to  the  relief  of  the 
deported  Armenians,  who  from  week  to  week  were  passing  by 
Harpout  and  were  dying  daily  on  the  road  from  exposure, 
starvation,  and  disease.  Dr.  Atkinson  was  born  of  mission- 
ary parents  in  India,  was  educated  in  America  and  after  14 
years  of  successful  practice  as  a  missionary  physician,  con- 
tracted typhus  fever  and  died  at  Harpout,  December  25,  1915. 

The  Hospital  at  Erzroum,  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Edward 
P.  Case,  was  filled  with  sick  and  wounded  Turks  soon  after 
Turkey  entered  the  war  in  1914.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Case,  Mrs. 
A.  L.  Stapleton,  a  physician,  her  husband,  and  two  children, 
were  all  seized  with  typhus.  The  death  of  Dr.  Sewny  and 
Miss  Zenger  who  went  to  Erzroum  from  Sivas  to  assist  in 
the  hospital  work  has  already  been  mentioned.  The  Erzroum 
Hospital,  most  important  in  location,  clearly  needs  a  strength- 
ening of  the  medical  staff  and  a  re-equipment. 

For  years  the  Hospital  at  Van  was  under  the  charge  of 
Dr.  Clarence  D.  Ussher,  assisted  by  one  foreign  nurse  and 
seven  native  nurses.  In  1913  the  in-patients  were  398,  those 
treated  in  the  dispensary  were  1,864,  and  those  visited  out- 


150  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

side,  1,350.  The  major  operations  were  187.  In  1915  the 
hospital  rendered  greatly  appreciated  service  to  sick  and 
wounded  Turkish  officers  and  soldiers.  Early  in  1915  the 
Red  Cross  flag  was  raised  over  the  American  Hospital  build- 
ing in  Van,  and  on  this  occasion  the  missionaries  gave  a  re- 
ception to  the  Turkish  officials  and  other  guests.  In  reply 
to  words  of  welcome  expressed  by  Dr.  Ussher,  the  Turkish 
governor  made  "an  address  of  appreciation  of  what  Ameri- 
can missionaries  were  doing  for  the  people  all  over  the  Otto- 
man Empire,  and  of  what  the  American  National  Bed  Cross 
Society  was  doing  to  alleviate  suffering  caused  by  the  war." 

In  1915  the  Hospital  at  Diarbekir,  newly  established,  was 
under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Floyd  0.  Smith,  and,  with  only  a 
small  equipment,  was  doing  an  excellent  service.  A  generous 
Armenian,  doing  business  in  America,  left  a  legacy  of  $10,000 
for  the  erection  of  a  new  hospital  building,  and  $20,000  for 
endowment.  After  enduring  great  hardship  and  indignities 
at  the  hands  of  the  Turkish  authorities  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
were  obliged  to  return  to  America,  and  the  establishment  of 
a  hospital  at  Diarbekir  waits  for  the  return  of  peace. 

The  Hospital  at  Mardin,  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Daniel 
M.  B.  Thorn,  assisted  by  one  American  nurse,  has  been  in 
operation  since  1874.  When  Dr.  Thorn  began  his  medical 
practice  there  was  only  one  other  medical  missionary  in 
Eastern  Turkey,  Dr.  Raynolds  of  Van.  Dr.  Thorn's  practice 
extended  150  miles  north  and  about  the  same  distance  east 
and  southeast.  He  was  engaged  in  the  medical  work  of  the 
Mardin  station  for  over  40  years.  During  the  first  26  years 
he  treated  290,686  patients,  and  in  the  year  covered  by  his 
last  report  (1913-14),  he  performed  300  operations  and  treat- 
ed nearly  8,000  persons.  He  was  decorated  by  the  Turkish  gov- 
ernment on  one  occasion  "for  long  and  faithful  service  in 
Mardin;  also  for  services  in  Diarbekir  during  the  epidemic 
of  cholera  in  1894."  Accompanied  by  Rev.  A.  N.  Andrus 
and  Miss  Agnes  Fenenga,  of  the  Mardin  station,  Dr.  Thorn 


LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          151 

was  on  his  way  to  Constantinople,  under  arrest,  and  died  at 
Sivas,  of  typhus  fever,  on  December  6,  1915. 

The  Azariah  Smith  Hospital,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  F.  D. 
Shepard,  assisted  by  Dr.  Caroline  F.  Hamilton,  three  native 
physicians,  two  American  and  seven  native  nurses,  in  1913 
had  394  in-patients,  including  representatives  of  six  religious 
confessions,  and  5,492  out-patients,  besides  2,220  sick  per- 
sons visited  in  their  homes.  The  major  operations  were  656. 
The  hospital  fees  covered  three-fourths  of  the  expenses.  This 
hospital  has  always  made  special  effort  to  bring  the  Gospel 
message  to  every  one  who  came  within  its  doors.  In  1914  a 
gift  of  $10,000  was  received  for  the  addition  of  much  needed 
wards. 

Entering  on  his  medical  practice  in  Aintab  in  1882,  for  33 
years  Dr.  Shepard  gave  himself  to  his  professional  duties 
with  rare  devotion  and  success.  His  reputation  extended 
throughout  Turkey  both  as  a  skillful  physician  and  a  friend 
of  humanity.  Personally  and  professionally  he  was  an  un- 
speakable blessing  to  missionary  families  and  an  untold  help 
to  all  the  races  of  Turkey,  especially  to  the  Moslems.  During 
the  long  period  of  his  practice  his  various  treatments  (num- 
bering 42,380  in  1914  alone)  doubtless  amounted  to  more  than 
1,000,000.  After  the  massacre  in  Cilicia  in  1909  many  thou- 
sands of  pounds  (the  Turkish  pound  is  worth  $4.40)  were 
entrusted  to  him  by  the  Turkish  government  for  the  rebuild- 
ing of  houses  and  the  relief  of  suffering,  and  for  the  wisdom 
and  fidelity  which  he  showed  in  making  use  of  the  money 
he  received  a  decoration  from  the  government.  In  1915  Dr. 
Shepard  was  obliged -by  impaired  health  to  relinquish  in 
part  his  practice,  and  was  to  be  succeeded  by  Dr.  Mark  H. 
Ward,  son  of  Langdon  "Ward,  for  many  years  treasurer  of  the 
American  Board,  and  grandson  of  Dr.  Edwin  E.  Bliss. 

After  some  months  of  service  in  the  Red  Cross  hospitals 
of  Constantinople  Dr.  Shepard  returned  to  Aintab,  and  on 
December  18,  1915,  died  there  of  typhus. 


152  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Of  him  Rev.  T.  D.  Christie,  D.  D.,  his  colleague  for  many 
years,  writes  as  follows:  "A  cry  for  help  from  Marash, 
Hadjin,  Kessab,  Aleppo,  Ourfa,  or  one  of  20  other  places! 
and  he  was  on  his  horse  at  once,  to  ride  night  and  day  till 
the  sufferer  was  reached.  Brave  as  a  lion  and  gentle  at  the 
bedside  as  a  woman — that  was  our  Beloved  Physician.  "We 
ne'er  shall  look  upon  his  like  again.  I  cannot  keep  the  tears 
back  as  I  think  of  him. ' ' 

The  International  Hospital  at  Adana,  founded  by  reason 
of  the  exigencies  of  the  massacre  of  1909,  in  1914  was  under 
the  charge  of  Dr.  Cyril  H.  Haas,  assisted  by  one  native  physi- 
cian, two  foreign  and  three  native  nurses.  In  1914  the 
surgical  treatments  in  the  wards  and  in  the  clinics  numbered 
5,301.  Among  the  patients  there  were  2,214  Armenians, 
690  Moslems,  135  Greeks,  65  Syrians,  and  235  belonging  to 
other  races.  In  the  report  of  1914  it  was  said:  "It  is  the 
conviction  of  the  staff  that  more  must  be  done  to  reach  the 
sick  and  suffering  in  the  1,400  Moslem  villages  scattered 
thickly  in  the  vicinity  of  Adana. ' ' 

The  American  Hospital  at  Talas,  near  Cesarea,  is  a  fine 
building  of  three  stories  and  a  basement,  completed  in  1900, 
after  years  of  toil,  by  the  efforts  of  Dr.  William  S.  Dodd 
and  his  friends,  without  help  from  the  Board.  Adjacent  is 
a  stone  dispensary  with  a  drug  store  and  examination  rooms. 
The  hospital  has  80  beds.  For  many  years  it  was  in  charge 
of  Dr.  Dodd  and  Dr.  Wilfred  M.  Post.  Since  September  1, 
1911,  the  hospital  has  been  in  charge  of  Dr.  Alden  R.  Hoover. 
He  has  been  assisted  by  one  native  physician,  one  foreign,  and 
seven  native  nurses.  In  1914  the  number  of  in-patients  was 
808,  the  new  patients  for  the  year  were  3,641,  and  the  surgi- 
cal operations  were  1,165.  From  the  beginning  of  the  medi- 
cal work  the  religious  atmosphere  in  the  hospital  has  been 
pervasive  and  powerful. 

Called  to  Constantinople  in  1915,  for  seven  months  Dr. 
Hoover  was  director  of  the  Red  Cross  work  carried  on  in  the 


LITERARY  AND  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENTS          153 

French  and  British  hospitals  and  elsewhere.  Of  the  45,000 
wounded  soldiers  brought  from  the  Dardanelles,  many  thou- 
sands were  under  his  care. 

In  1911  Dr.  Dodd  and  Dr.  Post  opened  a  new  hospital  at 
Konia,  the  ancient  Iconium,  a  city  of  60,000  population,  very 
largely  Mohammedan,  on  the  line  of  railway  from  Constanti- 
nople to  Bagdad.  For  nearly  two  centuries  Konia  was  the 
capital  of  the  Seljukian  Turks,  and  is,  no  doubt,  destined 
to  be  a  city  of  great  importance.  It  is  the  center  of  a  terri- 
tory as  large  as  the  State  of  New  York,  and  has  never  been 
occupied  by  the  missionaries.  Here  Dr.  Dodd  and  Dr.  Post 
are  building  up  an  extensive  medical  practice,  on  an  inde- 
pendent basis,  with  the  best  wishes  of  all  friends  of  the 
American  Board.  In  1915  Dr.  Post  was  in  charge  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  Hospital  at  Constantinople. 

The  Hospital  at  Beirut,  connected  with  the  Syrian  Protes- 
tant College,  is  doing  a  great  work.  The  Medical  School  of 
the  College  is  on  a  par  with  the  Imperial  Medical  School  at 
Constantinople,  and  for  several  years  its  graduates  have  re- 
ceived their  diplomas  from  the  hands  of  a  special  commission 
sent  to  Beirut  each  year  by  the  Turkish  government. 

In  the  above  mentioned  hospitals,  all  under  American  man- 
agement, more  than  2,000  major  surgical  operations  have  been 
performed  every  year,  and  very  many  minor  operations.  In 
1914  over  130,000  patients  were  treated,  who  represented 
every  nationality  found  in  the  Turkish  Empire.  In  some 
of  the  hospitals  nearly  one-half  of  the  patients  were  Moham- 
medans. These  patients  came  from  more  than  1,200  towns 
and  villages,  in  many  of  which  no  Gospel  message  has  yet 
been  heard.  The  influence  of  hospital  treatment  is  simply 
wonderful.  It  may  safely  be  said  that  there  is  no  Moham- 
medan, be  he  Turk,  or  Arab,  or  Kourd,  or  Circassian,  whose 
heart  is  so  hard  and  bitter  and  prejudiced,  that  when  his 
body  is  racked  with  pain  and  the  man  is  brought  to  one  of 
our  hospitals,  is  treated  by  a  skillful  American  surgeon  and 


154  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

attended  by  an  angel  in  the  form  of  an  American  nurse — 
under  such  circumstances  there  is  no  heart  that  is  not  softened 
and  made  grateful. 

In  1915  the  time  and  strength  of  nearly  all  the  doctors  and 
nurses  in  nearly  all  the  above-mentioned  hospitals  were  given 
to  the  treatment  and  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded  Turkish 
officers  and  soldiers.  Among  the  patients  there  were  many 
cases  of  typhus  fever,  and,  as  has  already  been  told,  to  this 
dread  disease,  up  to  January,  1916,  Dr.  Sewny,  Dr.  Atkinson, 
Dr.  Thorn,  Dr.  Shepard,  Mrs.  Ussher,  and  Miss  Zenger  fell 
victims.  It  was  a  costly  offering  from  the  missionary  body. 
Let  us  hope  that  the  Turkish  authorities  may  appreciate  the 
greatness  of  the  sacrifice ! 


CHAPTER  IX 
RESULTS  OF  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  A  LOOK  FORWARD 

BETWEEN  the  years  1859  and  1909  remarkable  progress  was 
made  in  the  work  of  the  American  Board  in  Turkey.  The 
evangelical  churches  increased  from  40  to  140,  including  17 
Greek  and  19  Bulgarian  churches;  the  number  of  church 
members  increased  from  some  1,277  to  15,748;  the  registered 
Protestants  increased  from  7,000  to  54,000;  the  native  work- 
ers from  156  to  1,082;  the  gifts  for  worship,  education,  and 
benevolence  from  $4,000  in  a  year  to  $128,273 ;  while  in  1859 
there  was  but  one  boarding  school  for  boys  and  one  for  girls, 
the  number  of  high  schools  for  boys  and  boarding  schools 
for  girls  increased  to  52;  while  in  1859  there  was  not  one 
college  connected  with  our  Turkey  missions,  in  1909  the 
number  of  colleges  under  American  management,  including 
Robert  College  at  Constantinople,  the  Syrian  Protestant  Col- 
lege at  Beirut  and  the  two  colleges  for  girls,  was  10;  then 
the  pupils  in  common  schools  numbered  2,742,  in  1909  the 
pupils  of  all  schools  numbered  23,115,  and  in  1914  the  num- 
ber of  students  in  the  higher  institutions  was  6,211;  then 
there  was  no  hospital  connected  with  our  missions,  in  1909 
the  number  was  nine,  with  more  than  114,000  patients. 

This  summary  statement  indicates  some  of  the  manifest 
and  manifold  results  of  50  years  of  missionary  labor,  but 
the  general  influence  of  the  work  on  both  the  clergy  and  laity 
of  the  Oriental  churches,  on  the  patients  who  were  treated 
in  our  hospitals,  a  large  number  of  whom  were  Moslems,  on 
the  youth  taught  in  our  schools,  and  on  the  minds  of  millions 
who  have  read  the  vernacular  Scriptures  and  the  mission 

155 


156  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

books  and  periodicals — such  a  mass  of  influence,  religious, 
moral,  and  educational,  is  beyond  the  reach  of  statistics.  And 
let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  these  results,  tabulated  and  un- 
tabulated,  were  attained  in  spite  of  wars,  massacres,  famines, 
emigrations,  and  all  the  varied  hindrances  of  a  despotic  rule. 

It  is  also  interesting  to  know  that,  according  to  information 
from  official  sources,  the  American  Board  and  the  three 
Woman's  Boards  have  from  the  beginning  spent  altogether 
in  Turkey  for  the  relief  of  sufferers  from  epidemics,  famines, 
war  and  massacres,  and  for  education  and  medical  and  relig- 
ious work  over  $21,000,000.  This  sum  includes  gifts  for  spe- 
cial objects  and  the  contributions  of  die  native  Protestants. 
In  1915  the  American  Board  appropriated  for  the  work  $314,- 
000.  The  American  Board  and  the  Woman's  Boards,  and 
the  colleges  closely  affiliated  with  these  organizations,  hold  in 
Turkey  at  this  time  (1916)  property  valued  at  nearly  $2,500,- 
000.  Seven  of  the  American  colleges  hold  endowments  in 
the  United  States  amounting  to  nearly  $3,000,000,  and  these 
colleges  are  expending  annually  for  the  support  of  their  work 
almost  $1,000,000. 

Let  it  also  be  noted  that  the  American  Board  and  the 
Woman 's  Boards,  the  Presbyterian  Board,  the  Syrian  Protes- 
tant College,  Robert  College,  and  Constantinople  College,  with 
other  American  institutions,  hold  property  in  Turkey  valued 
at  $8,400,000.  Since  the  missionary  work  began  in  Turkey 
(1819)  these  societies  have  together  spent  in  Turkey  almost 
$40,000,000.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  (1914)  they  were 
employing  some  450  Americans  and  a  much  larger  number 
of  native  workers. 

A  LOOK  FORWARD 

At  this  point  the  reader  will  naturally  ask,  What  of  the 
future?  Can  we  expect  a  speedy  ending  of  the  awful  war 
and  such  a  settlement  of  questions  pertaining  to  Turkey  as 


EESULTS  OF  FIFTY  YEARS  157 

will  give  an  assurance  of  peace  and  a  hopeful  outlook  for  the 
missionary  work?  A  satisfactory  reply  to  this  question  is 
at  present  impossible  and  the  future  is  dark.  We  are  called 
upon,  however,  to  wait  with  patience  and  prayer,  trusting  in 
God  that  he  will  safeguard  his  kingdom  and  bring  good  out 
of  evil. 

We  had  hoped  that  through  the  revival  of  spiritual  religion 
in  the  Oriental  churches  and  through  the  living  testimony  of 
60,000  native  Protestants,  the  Moslems  of  Turkey  might  get 
a  new  and  more  correct  apprehension  of  Christianity.  We 
had  hoped  that  through  the  publication  and  very  extensive 
sale  of  the  Bible  and  of  many  other  books  in  the  Turkish 
and  Arabic  languages;  that  through  the  instruction  of  Mos- 
lem children  in  high  schools  and  colleges;  that  through  the 
skillful  treatment  and  tender  care  of  Moslem  patients  in 
American  hospitals  in  ordinary  times  and  of  their  sick  and 
wounded  in  times  of  war;  that  through  the  feeding  of  their 
hungry  and  the  clothing  of  their  naked  in  times  of  famine; 
that  through  the  sincere  and  loyal  devotion  of  Americans  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  Moslem  people  and  of  the  Turkish 
empire  for  nearly  a  hundred  years ;  and,  finally,  that  through 
the  genuine  sympathy  and  rejoicing  of  Americans  at  the  time 
of  the  revolution  of  the  Young  Turks  in  1908 ;  we  had  hoped, 
I  say,  that  through  these  and  many  other  influences  and  in- 
strumentalities the  Americans  living  in  Turkey  might  have 
been  recognized  as  the  true  friends  of  the  Turkish  people  and 
the  Turkish  government. 

And  we  are  sure  that  in  many  respects  our  hopes  have  not 
been  disappointed.  We  know  that  many  Turks  have  gotten  a 
new  and  favorable  view  of  the  Christian  religion ;  that  many 
Turks  recognize  that  they  are  greatly  indebted  to  Americans 
for  new  ideas  in  regard  to  schools,  especially  schools  for  girls, 
and  in  regard  to  sanitation,  agriculture,  commerce,  and  prin- 
ciples of  government.  The  Turks  know  through  long  expe- 


158  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

rience  that  American  missionaries  are  honest  and  honorable 
men,  true  friends  of  the  Turkish  people  and  without  political 
or  selfish  ends. 

The  Turks,  however,  have  observed  that  of  all  the  races 
in  Turkey  the  Armenians  have  profited  most  from  the  facili- 
ties of  education  afforded  in  the  schools  opened  by  Americans, 
and  that  by  their  intelligence,  skill  and  industry  the  Armeni- 
ans have  forged  ahead.  Hence,  alas !  certain  Turks  conceived 
an  unreasoning  jealousy  and  a  cruel  suspicion  of  the  Ar- 
menians, though  the  latter  in  recent  years  numbered  not  more 
than  one-sixth  part  of  the  population  in  Asia  Minor  and 
Syria,  and  were,  wherever  scattered,  a  small  minority  of  the 
people.  Certain  Turks,  however,  formed  the  unholy  and 
awful  determination  to  exterminate  those  whom  they  esteemed 
rivals  and  whom  they  suspected  of  disloyalty.  The  cruel 
Sultan  Abdul  Hamid  began  the  work  of  extermination  in 
1895,  and  others,  high  in  authority,  planned  to  complete  the 
work  in  1915.  Hence,  alas!  many  of  our  able  and  devoted 
teachers  have  been  slain,  and  their  families  are  now  scattered 
we  know  not  where.  Hence,  alas !  our  pastors,  true  and  loyal 
men,  and  the  members  of  their  churches  and  congregations 
have  been  thrust  from  their  homes  and  have  died  by  the  road- 
side or  been  left  to  perish  in  the  deserts.  Hence,  alas!  a 
Christian  people,  who  were  our  chief  constituency  and  whose 
children  at  great  self-sacrifice  were  sent  to  our  schools  and 
colleges,  have,  through  a  most  rigorous  and  cruel  deportation, 
largely  disappeared  from  the  sight  of  men. 

Have  the  labors  then  of  American  Christians  in  behalf  of 
this  martyr  nation  been  in  vain?  With  all  confidence  we 
answer,  No!  In  the  course  of  the  past  century  many  thou- 
sands have  gotten  a  new  and  saving  view  of  Christ  and  have 
passed  on  to  glory.  In  this  year  of  deportation  also  (1915) 
many  other  thousands  have  nobly  witnessed  for  Christ,  dying 
as  martyrs  rather  than  deny  their  Lord.  Including  those 
who  died  in  previous  massacres,  1,000,000  of  Armenians,  it 


RESULTS  OF  FIFTY  YEARS  159 

is  thought,  have  disappeared  from  earth,  or  have  been  driven 
from  their  homes,  or  have  been  forced  to  become  Moslems 
and  are  now  hidden  away  in  the  abodes  of  Turks  and  Arabs 
and  Kourds.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  there  still  survive 
1,500,000  of  the  martyr  race.  Where  then  are  the  surviv- 
ors? There  are  still  many  who  are  scattered  here  and  there 
in  Turkey,  and  great  numbers  have  taken  refuge  in  Russia 
and  other  European  countries,  in  Persia,  Egypt  and  Amer- 
ica. Now,  may  we  not  hope  that  the  madness  of  those  who 
attempted  to  destroy  an  innocent  people  will  pass  at  length? 
Will  not  the  horrible  deeds  of  1915  at  length  be  condemned 
and  repudiated  by  a  very  considerable  part  of  the  Turkish 
people?  Thank  God,  we  can  say  that  the  repudiation  has 
already  begun.  The  newspaper  called  The  Near  East,  al- 
ways well-informed  in  regard  to  Turkish  affairs,  reports  that 
Ahmed  Riza  Bey,  the  first  president  of  the  Turkish  Chamber 
of  Deputies  and  now  a  senator,  recently  submitted  an  in- 
terpellation to  the  Turkish  senate  in  which  he  declared:  "I 
accuse  the  government  of  the  Armenian  massacres  and  of  the 
persecution  of  the  Christians  in  general;  and  even  in  the 
event  of  the  Central  Powers  being  victorious — which  in  my 
opinion  is  improbable — they  (that  is,  the  massacres  and  per- 
secutions) would  considerably  affect  our  position  as  a  state 
and  as  a  nation.  Ungrateful  nations  are  not  the  Christians, 
but  we  who  have  turned  against  our  friends  and  protectors." 

It  is  said  that  on  account  of  this  brave  utterance  Ahmed 
Riza  Bey  was  arrested  on  leaving  the  senate,  but  was  released 
on  the  intervention  of  Prince  Youssouf  Izzedin,  the  heir  to 
the  throne. 

Again,  on  September  7,  1915,  as  the  Armenian  houses  in 
Adana  were  being  systematically  cleared — women,  children, 
old  people,  sick,  all  swept  out  and  driven  relentlessly  forward 
— an  elderly,  respectable-looking  Turk,  who  was  watching  the 
proceedings  was  heard  to  say:  " Allah  cannot  accept  this. 
This  is  not  of  Allah.  Perhaps  the  men  are  traitors,  who 


160  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

knows  ?  But  not  these  children  and  women  and  old  ones.  No, 
we  shall  see  what  comes  to  us  for  this.  It  is  not  Allah's  will. ' ' 

Such,  we  believe,  is  the  judgment  of  thousands  of  respect- 
able Turks,  who  have  been  shamed  and  scandalized  by  the 
dreadful  cruelties  which  they  have  witnessed,  and  have  been 
made  indignant  by  the  folly  of  those  who  have  killed  the  ar- 
tisans, the  merchants,  the  doctors  and  lawyers  of  the  country 
and  have  robbed  the  land  of  its  best  tax-payers. 

Finally,  whatever  be  the  issue  of  this  dreadful  war,  the 
Turks  responsible  for  the  atrocious  attempt  to  destroy  a 
Christian  nation  will  face  the  shame  and  abhorrence  of  the 
civilized  world.  We  can  but  hope  that  the  great  body  of  the 
Turkish  people  will  at  length  repudiate  the  men  guilty  of  the 
unspeakable  atrocities,  and  will  come  to  recognize  that  liberty 
and  justice  and  equal  civil  rights  are  the  foundation  prin- 
ciples of  every  civilized  state,  and  that  save  on  the  basis  of 
these  principles  no  state  can  survive. 

In  the  presence  then  of  a  situation  that  confounds  our 
wisdom  and  baffles  any  satisfactory  explanation,  the  friends 
of  the  American  Board  must  still  put  their  trust  in  God. 
We  know  that  God  reigns,  that  God's  promises  to  his  well- 
beloved  Son  are  yet  to  be  fulfilled,  and  that  it  belongs  to 
God's  servants  to  stand  fast,  and  in  humility,  courage  and 
confidence  press  forward  in  their  work. 

We  end  this  general  survey  with  the  prayer  that  God 
who  by  his  Spirit  and  Providence  inaugurated  the  mis- 
sionary work  in  Turkey,  and  who  in  all  the  past  years  has 
greatly  blessed  it,  may  in  his  own  time  and  way  bring  it  to 
a  blessed  consummation.  To  his  name  be  praise  forever  and 
ever. 

The  next  five  chapters  will  trace  the  development  of  the 
great  system  of  education  throughout  Turkey  and  will  in- 
clude sketches  of  many  of  the  men  and  women  who  have  been 
leaders  in  this  department. 


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CHAPTER  X 
HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS 

BESIDES  assisting  in  reorganizing  the  native  schools  for 
boys,  the  early  missionaries  attempted  to  establish  separate 
schools  for  girls.  In  May,  1832,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodell  invited 
the  Greek  families  with  which  they  had  become  acquainted, 
to  send  their  daughters  to  a  day  school  which  they  had 
opened  in  their  own  house.  The  people  gladly  responded, 
and  within  a  few  days  Mrs.  Goodell  had  twenty-five  pupils. 
A  school  for  girls,  however,  was  such  an  innovation  that  the 
ecclesiastics  were  aroused,  and  within  four  months  the  Greek 
Synod  commanded  the  parents,  under  threat  of  excommuni- 
cation, to  withdraw  their  girls.  When  the  parents,  especially 
the  mothers,  expostulated,  two  reasons  were  alleged  for  oppos- 
ing female  education.  First,  it  was  said  to  be  unnecessary 
to  teach  girls  to  read  and  write.  The  ecclesiastics  declared 
that  their  mothers  and  their  mothers'  mothers  had  been  good 
wives  and  had  brought  up  children  without  knowing  how 
to  read  or  write,  and  what  was  good  enough  for  their  mothers 
was  good  enough  for  their  daughters.  Secondly,  it  would 
be  dangerous  to  teach  girls  to  read  and  write,  for  ere  long  the 
girls  would  be  writing  letters  to  the  young  men,  a  thing  not 
to  be  thought  of.  Thus  ended  the  first  attempt  of  the  mis- 
sionaries to  establish  a  school  for  girls. 

Thirteen  years  elapsed  and  a  second  attempt  was  made. 
In  October,  1845,  a  boarding  school  was  opened  in  the  house 
of  the  same  missionaries,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodell.  At  that  time 
there  were  many  evangelical  families  in  Constantinople  and 
vicinity)  and  the  parents  were  glad  to  send  their  daughters 

161 


162  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

to  a  boarding  school.  To  assist  in  its  care,  Miss  Harriet  M. 
Lovell  had  been  invited  to  come  from  America — the  first 
unmarried  lady,  after  Miss  Mary  Reynolds,  to  engage  in  mis 
sionary  work  in  Turkey.  This  school  continued  its  work,  first 
under  the  care  of  Miss  Lovell,  and  after  her  marriage  to 
Eev.  Cyrus  Hamlin,  under  the  care  of  Miss  Maria  A.  West, 
with  great  success  and  acceptance  until  1862,  when  it  was 
closed.  This  action  was  taken  by  the  mission,  because  it  was 
thought  that  an  interior  city  was  a  more  suitable  place  for 
the  mission  boarding  school.  During  the  17  years  of  its 
existence,  however,  the  school  had  furnished  educated  wives 
for  the  early  pastors,  the  graduates  of  Bebek  Seminary, 
and  a  goodly  number  of  school  teaehers  Such,  however,  was 
the  demand  for  female  education  in  Constantinople  that  in 
1871  the  "Home  School  for  Girls"  was  opened.  In  the  course 
of  45  years  this  school  has  had  a  remarkable  growth,  and,  as 
already  stated,  has  become  Constantinople  College.  The  suc- 
cess of  this  school  has  put  an  end  to  all  opposition  to  female 
education,  and  all  the  nationalities  in  Constantinople,  includ- 
ing the  Turks,  have  opened  schools  for  girls.  After  the  revo- 
lution of  the  Young  Turks  in  1908  the  government  was  so 
eager  to  promote  the  education  of  Turkish  girls  that  they  set 
aside  an  imperial  palace  at  Candilli  on  the  Bosphorus,  oppo- 
site Robert  College,  for  a  boarding  school  for  Turkish  girls. 
It  was  very  difficult,  however,  to  find  Turkish  teachers  for 
this  school;  hence,  several  choice  young  Turkish  women  were 
selected  and  placed,  at  the  expense  of  the  government,  in 
the  Constantinople  College,  to  be  trained  as  teachers. 

An  incident  will  indicate  the  change  of  attitude  of  in- 
fluential Turks  on  the  subject  of  female  education.  Two 
months  after  the  establishment  of  the  government  of  the 
Young  Turks,  namely  on  September  18,  1908,  a  remarkable 
meeting  was  held  in  the  public  garden  of  Bebek  on  the  Bos- 
phorus. In  the  50  years  of  my  residence  in  Turkey  such  an 
assembly  had  never  been  held,  and  I  attended  the  meeting, 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       163 

curious  to  see  what  might  happen.  A  stand  for  the  speaker 
had  been  built,  and  the  garden  had  been  roped  off  in  two 
sections,  for  men  and  for  women.  The  section  for  women  was 
filled  with  a  large  company  of  Turkish  ladies,  and  to  my 
astonishment  all  veils  had  been  removed,  and  the  faces  of  the 
ladies  were  a  most  attractive  sight.  The  speaker  was  Prince 
Sabah-ed-din,  son  of  Damad  Mahmoud  Pasha,  son-in-law  of 
Sultan  Hamid.  The  Prince,  though  a  grandson  of  the  tyrant 
Hamid,  was  a  great  friend  of  the  Young  Turks,  and  in  simple 
Turkish  made  an  excellent  address.  He  began  by  declaring 
that  government  is  for  the  people,  not  the  people  for  the 
government;  that  the  new  government  ought  to  be  earnestly 
supported,  so  long  as  the  ministers  showed  themselves  worthy 
of  confidence;  that  should  the  ministers  make  mistakes,  it  was 
the  privilege  and  duty  of  a  free  press  to  point  out  the  mis- 
takes; that  civil  rights  and  privileges  were  one  and  the  same 
for  all  Ottoman  subjects  without  regard  to  race  or  religion; 
and,  finally,  that  the  welfare  of  the  country  depended  on  the 
training  which  the  Turkish  mothers  gave  to  their  children, 
and  that  consequently  Turkish  women  must  be  educated.  No 
European  could  have  pleaded  for  female  education  with  more 
force  and  eloquence.  The  Turkish  ladies  were  greatly 
pleased,  and  with  beaming  faces  repeatedly  clapped  the 
speaker,  like  a  bevy  of  enthusiastic  girls.  It  was  the  first 
time  that  such  a  strange  sight  had  been  seen  and  such  an 
address  had  been  heard  in  Turkey,  and  it  made  a  profound 
impression.  Would  that  the  principles  expressed  could  have 
been  taught  to  the  Turkish  people  years  before,  and  acted  on. 
Then  possibly  the  Young  Turkey  government  might  have  been 
saved  from  many  serious  mistakes. 

Following  the  example  of  Constantinople,  within  a  few 
years  boarding  schools  for  girls  were  established  in  nearly  all 
the  principle  missionary  stations  of  Asia  Minor  and  the 
Balkan  peninsula,  namely  in  Adabazar,  Adana,  Aintab,  Bit- 
lis,  Brousa,  Erzroum,  Hadjm,  Harpout,  Marash,  Mardin, 


164  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Marsovan,  Monastir,  Ourfa,  Samokov,  Sivas,  Smyrna,  Talas, 
and  Van.  Like  the  Home  School  at  Constantinople,  the 
boarding  school  at  Marash  developed  into  a  college,  and  the 
boarding  school  at  Harpout  came  under  the  administration 
of  Euphrates  College.  Including  Constantinople  College,  there 
are  now  (1914)  three  colleges  and  16  boarding  schools  for 
girls  under  American  management,  with  some  3,300  students, 
the  majority  of  whom  have  come  from  non-Protestant  fami- 
lies. The  running  expenses  are  largely  met  by  receipts  from 
the  students,  and  the  salaries  of  American  teachers  are  paid 
by  the  three  Woman's  Boards.  The  number  of  boarding 
schools  may  seem  large,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  from 
Constantinople  to  Van  is  a  thousand  miles,  and  that  the 
schools  are,  with  a  few  exceptions,  several  hundred  miles 
apart. 

THE  GIRLS  SCHOOL  AT  ADABAZAR 

This  city  of  20,000  people,  75  miles  east  of  Constantinople, 
is  chiefly  known  in  missionary  circles  for  its  strong  evangeli- 
cal church.  In  69  years  it  has  had  but  four  pastors,  since 
1862  has  been  self-supporting,  has  never  had  a  quarrel,  and 
has  enjoyed  constant  growth.  It  has  been  a  Gospel  light- 
house both  in  the  city  and  surrounding  country,  but  its  chief 
glory  is  the  girls  boarding  school.  This  school  is  dis- 
tinguished from  every  other  boarding  school  in  Turkey  by 
the  fact  that  for  30  years  it  has  been  under  a  board  of  native 
trustees.  In  1885  the  enterprising  church  of  Adabazar  in- 
vited Miss  Laura  Farnham,  the  principal,  to  remove  the 
school  from  the  town  of  Bardizag  to  Adabazar,  and  to  leave 
all  the  secular  and  financial  matters  to  a  board  of  trustees, 
chosen  yearly  by  the  church.  Thus  the  American  Board 
would  be  responsible  only  for  the  salaries  of  the  American 
teachers,  and  they  could  give  themselves  entirely  to  the 
mental,  moral  and  religious  training  of  the  pupils.  With 
the  approval  of  the  mission,  Miss  Farnham  and  her  assq- 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       165 

ciate,  Miss  Leila  C.  Parsons  (afterwards  Mrs.  Charles  W. 
Riggs),  accepted  the  novel  invitation,  and  the  result  has  been 
most  happy.  The  church  gave  a  new  three-story  building 
for  the  use  of  the  school,  and,  with  the  aid  of  some  American 
friends,  two  other  buildings  have  been  added.  In  the  mat- 
ter of  current  expenses  the  school  has  been  independent,  has 
gained  the  sympathy  and  respect  of  the  entire  city,  and  has 
had  uninterrupted  success.  Miss  Farnham  knew  both  how 
to  carry  out  her  own  plans  and  to  work  harmoniously  with 
a  native  board  of  men.  Need  anything  more  be  said  in  her 
praise?  She  was  principal  of  the  school  for  37  years,  and 
in  1910  the  church,  the  trustees  and  the  pupils  could  hardly 
consent  that  she  return  to  America.  During  all  her  career 
she  was  supported  by  devoted  American  and  native  teachers, 
and  left  the  school  in  charge  of  an  able  successor,  Miss  Mary 
E.  Kinney. 

THE  GIRLS  SCHOOL  AT  MARSOVAN 

This  institution,  now  called  the  Anatolia  Girls  School,  is 
the  successor  of  the  first  boarding  school  for  girls  opened  in 
Turkey,  the  one  established  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Goodell  in  Con- 
stantinople in  1845.  Transferred  to  Marsovan,  and  in  1865 
opened  under  the  care  of  Miss  Eliza  Fritcher,  during  the 
past  50  years  it  has  had  remarkable  growth.  Instruction 
was  first  given  in  a  low,  dark  room  to  but  eight  pupils,  all 
Armenians ;  in  1913-14  the  pupils  numbered  269,  coming  from 
five  nationalities  and  including  six  Turkish  girls.  Its 
grounds,  within  the  mission  compound,  cover  four  and  a  half 
acres,  and  contain  Fritcher  .Hall,  South  Hall,  the  King 
Memorial  School  for  the  Deaf,  and  the  Tracy  Kindergarten. 
At  first  parents  cared  so  little  for  the  education  of  their 
girls  that  they  were  unwilling  to  pay  anything  for  their 
board;  now  they  gladly  pay  enough  to  cover  the  expense  of 
both  board  and  tuition.  In  the  early  years  instruction  was 
limited  to  the  elementary  branches;  now  it  covers  English, 


166  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Turkish,  Armenian,  Greek,  mathematics,  history,  physics, 
geology,  botany,  psychology,  domestic  science,  needlework, 
and  music.  The  teaching  of  English  was  begun  in  1882,  and 
of  vocal  and  instrumental  music  in  1886.  A  Greek  depart- 
ment was  added  in  1884,  and  in  1914  there  were  73  Greek 
pupils.  The  first  sewing  machine,  welcomed  with  joy  and 
wonder,  was  introduced  to  the  school  in  1890.  A  department 
of  dressmaking  was  begun  in  1910.  In  the  early  years  the 
girls  ate  in  the  kitchen,  seated  on  mats  about  a  large  round 
tray  which  was  placed  on  a  stool,  and,  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  the  country,  helped  themselves  out  of  a  common  dish 
with  wooden  spoons.  Up  to  1890  all  the  girls,  in  deference 
to  Turkish  custom,  covered  their  faces  when  they  appeared 
on  the  street.  For  a  considerable  time  there  were  but  two 
teachers,  an  American  and  an  Armenian;  in  1913-14  there 
were  27  instructors,  six  Americans,  seven  Greeks,  and  14 
Armenians.  Up  to  1914  the  school  had  sent  forth  276  gradu- 
ates. Aside  from  the  graduates,  doubtless  five  times  that 
number  of  girls  have  been  in  the  school  for  longer  or  shorter 
periods,  and  have  felt  its  strong  influence — an  influence  stead- 
ily emanating  from  that  genial  center,  and  becoming  in  its  far- 
reaching  extent  a  force  of  measureless  power. 

A  department  for  the  deaf  was  opened  in  1910,  under  the 
charge  of  a  Greek  lady,  Miss  Philadelphefs.  In  memory  of 
the  lamented  Miss  Martha  A.  King,  of  Minneapolis,  who 
taught  from  1893  to  1896,  it  was  named  the  King  Memorial 
School  for  the  Deaf.  Children  are  received  from  six  to  eight 
years  of  age,  at  an  annual  charge  of  $53.00.  The  pupils  are 
taught  according  to  methods  which  have  been  found  most 
successful  in  training  the  deaf  in  America.  In  1914  the 
school  had  15  pupils. 

Miss  Eliza  Fritcher,  the  first  principal  of  the  Marsovan 
Boarding  School,  was  born  in  Millport,  New  York,  in  1831, 
was  graduated  from  Mt.  Holyoke  Seminary,  went  to  Turkey 
in  1863,  and  died  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  in  1896.  For 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       167 

30  years  she  was  a  benediction  to  the  school.  "Mentally 
keen,  alert,  vivacious,  ripe  and  strong  in  character,  a  sweet 
singer,  of  absolute  and  intelligent  devotion  to  her  work,  she 
laid  the  firm  foundation  which  has  made  possible  the  great 
results  of  succeeding  years."  She  saw  great  improvements 
in  her  life-time,  and  greater  and  better  changes  were  yet  to 
come.  When  she  became  disabled,  others  took  up  the  labor 
which  she  had  borne  so  long,  and  for  a  time  were  acting 
principals,  namely  Miss  Mary  P.  Wright,  Miss  Jennie  C. 
Smith,  and  Miss  C.  E.  Bush,  loaned  from  Harpout  for  a 
year.  In  1893  Miss  Frances  C.  Gage  became  principal,  doing 
most  efficient  work  for  about  five  years,  when,  failing  in 
health,  she  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Charlotte  A.  Willard. 
Under  Miss  Willard 's  wise  and  efficient  administration  the 
school  has  progressed  by  leaps  and  bounds.  Miss  Anna 
Filician,  teacher  and  matron,  has  been  an  indispensable  part 
of  the  school  for  50  years,  and  still  (1915)  abides  in 
strength,  greatly  esteemed  and  beloved.  A  sweet  and  blessed 
religious  atmosphere  has  pervaded  the  school  in  all  its  his- 
tory, and  here  very  many  girls  came  to  know  and  love  Christ 
as  their  personal  Saviour,  and  they  went  forth  from  the 
school  to  witness  for  their  Lord  and  Master  as  teachers, 
wives,  and  mothers. 

Miss  HARRIET  SEYMOUR  AND  Miss  CAROLINE  E.  BUSH 

The  boarding  schools  for  girls  in  other  stations  have  been 
highly  favored  in  the  character  of  their  lady  principals.  In 
ability,  education,  wisdom  in  administration,  devotion  to  their 
work  and  to  high  Christian  .ideals,  these  ladies  have  been 
eminently  fitted  for  their  work.  All  the  boarding  schools 
in  their  relation  to  the  Woman's  Boards,  their  management, 
their  courses  of  study,  and  their  aim  to  promote  both  the 
mental  and  the  spiritual  growth  of  the  pupils,  have  been  quite 
alike.  Special  mention  should  be  made  of  some  of  these 


168  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

ladies  on  account  of  their  long-continued  and  eminent  service. 

Miss  Harriet  Seymour,  born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  went 
to  Harpout  in  1867,  returned  to  America  in  1904,  and  died 
near  Philadelphia  in  1912.  During  nearly  37  years  she  was 
a  beloved  and  efficient  missionary.  She  was  associated  in  the 
girls'  school  at  Harpout  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Warfield  until 
the  latter 's  sudden  death  in  February,  1870.  In  June,  1869, 
Miss  Seymour  expressed  her  great  joy  in  the  school,  especially 
in  the  religious  life  of  the  50  pupils,  33  of  whom  were  young 
married  women,  most  of  them  wives  of  theological  students. 
Miss  Warfield  the  same  year  wrote  as  follows:  "We  can 
truly  say,  after  these  two  years  of  labor — the  toils  and  diffi- 
culties of  the  new  language,  the  watchings  by  sick  beds,  the 
winter  touring  in  cold  and  snow,  and  the  summer  fatigues 
and  trials  in  school — that  it  is  indeed  a  blessed  work,  and  we 
rejoice  that  our  dear  Father  brought  us  here  and  has  given 
us  strength  for  his  service. " 

A  few  months  after  Miss  Warfield 's  death  Miss  Caroline 
E.  Bush,  daughter  of  the  district  secretary  of  the  American 
Board,  reached  Harpout,  and  for  more  than  30  years  Miss 
Seymour  and  Miss  Bush  lived  together  like  twin  sisters.  In 
the  beautiful  booklet,  "The  Story  of  Two  Friends,"  Miss 
Bush  writes  as  follows:  "For  10  years  Miss  Seymour  and 
I  were  at  the  head  of  the  Girls'  School  in  Harpout,  long 
before  it  was  a  college.  We  saw  our  pupils  graduate,  marry, 
and  have  children,  and  lived  to  see  their  children's  children. 
We  dearly  loved  the  school  and  left  it  only  when  younger 
ladies  came  out.  It  seemed  more  suitable  that  we  who  had 
had  some  experience  should  do  the  touring.  We  traveled 
over  more  area,  and  for  more  days,  probably,  than  any  two 
women  in  Turkey.  As  we  rode  side  by  side  on  horseback 
we  were  much  in  prayer.  Those  tours  were  a  perfect  delight. 
They  took  us  away  from  the  monotony  of  school  routine  into 
the  homes  of  our  pupils.  Besides  this,  I  loved  a  horse  more 
than  almost  anything  else  in  the  world,  and  used  to  say  that 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       169 

wherever  my  horse  could  go  I  could  go  on  his  back.  Up  the 
steeps  of  the  Taurus  mountains  we  climbed,  rode  down 
through  rocky  gorges  and  over  the  verdant  plains,  sometimes 
encountering  Kourdish  robbers.  "We  bore  many  dangers  and 
trials  on  those  tours,  sleeping  on  the  floor,  often  in  the  midst 
of  a  large  family  of  children  crying  and  disturbing  us;  or 
else  we  slept  in  stables,  where  roosters  crowed,  donkeys 
brayed,  and  the  oil  mill  was  screwed  up  in  the  middle  of  the 
night.  We  ate  the  native  food,  to  be  as  economical  as  pos- 
sible. The  joy  of  meeting  our  old  scholars  in  their  homes 
and  watching  their  work,  and  the  blessing  of  teaching  and 
preaching  the  Gospel  in  different  places  was  very  great.  We 
went  many  times  without  our  brother  missionaries,  and  did 
the  same  work  that  they  would  have  done.  But  what  we 
owe  to  those  brother  missionaries,  their  preaching,  and  their 
moral  support,  cannot  be  told.  We  lived  in  the  families  of 
the  married  missionaries,  and  the  ties  between  us  were 
stronger  than  those  of  mere  relationship.  One  of  our  great 
joys  was  at  times  of  revival,  times  in  which  all  day  long  we 
went  from  house  to  house,  and  in  every  house  there  was  vir- 
tually a  meeting,  and  in  the  evening  the  people  gathered  in 
our  room  to  talk  and  sing  and  pray.  We  had  from  50  to  100 
and  even  150  women  at  our  meetings.  We  formed  temper- 
ance societies  and  women's  benevolent  societies  and  orphan- 
ages. During  one  of  our  visits  at  a  village  on  the  plain  near 
the  Euphrates,  there  was  a  terrific  rain-storm.  The  snows 
on  the  Taurus  Mountains  had  begun  to  melt,  and  the  floods 
came  tearing  down.  All  that  night  we  had  no  sleep,  but 
watched  the  waters  as  they  increased  in  depth,  dashing 
against  the  very  walls  of  our  house.  The  villagers  were,  of 
course,  in  terror,  but  God  kept  us.  In  dangers  like  these 
and  in  the  massacres  you  may  well  believe  that  our  hearts 
were  often  sorely  wounded  for  the  fears  and  difficulties  and 
sorrows  of  the  poor  people  about  us  We  could  only  bear  it 
as  day  by  day  we  again  and  again  cast  the  burden  on  the 


170  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Lord."  Miss  Bush  tells  of  a  visit  which  she  and  Miss  Sey- 
mour made  to  Egin,  Arabkir  and  Maden  in  the  autumn  of 
1895  just  before  the  massacres  in  those  cities,  and  describes 
the  terrible  experiences  of  the  journey  on  their  return  to 
Harpout.  Those  cities  were  plundered  and  burned  the  day 
after  the  ladies  escaped.  They  reached  Harpout  on  Thurs- 
day and  the  next  Monday  they  were  in  the  thick  of  the 
massacre  at  Harpout.  In  spite  of  all  the  dreadful  scenes 
through  which  she  passed,  Miss  Bush  wrote  as  follows: 
li  During  the  years  following  the  massacres  my  opportunity 
for  working  with  Turkish  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls, 
was  yearly  increased,  until  it  became  my  greatest  desire  at 
every  place  to  reach  as  many  of  the  Turkish  homes  as  pos- 
sible. I  read  the  Testament  to  them  and  talked  and  prayed 
just  as  I  did  in  Christian  homes,  and  cases  of  interest  were 
many;  it  seemed  as  if  the  Holy  Spirit  were  working  in  all 
hearts.  Miss  Seymour  grew  deeply  interested  in  these  cases, 
and  began  to  pray  for  them  by  name."  In  closing,  Miss 
Bush  writes  as  follows:  "It  is  the  time  and  place  to  say 
that  my  beloved  Harriet  Seymour  \vas  like  mother  and  sister 
to  me.  Her  love,  patience,  charity,  and  appreciativeness 
were  unbounded. 

'Truly  a  friend  who  trod  the  path 

The  very  Friend  of  sinners  trod, 

And  one  alive  with  all  the  tender  love  of  God. '  : 

Praises  to  God  for  such  Christian  workers!  How  ought 
the  women  of  America  to  rejoice  that  they  have  had  and 
have  such  specimens  of  American  womanhood  among  the  lady 
missionaries  in  Turkey! 

Miss  CHARLOTTE  E.  ELY  AND  Miss  MARY  A.  C.  ELY 

The  missionary  career  of  the  ladies  known  as  "the  Ely 
sisters"  was  remarkable  in  several  particulars. 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       171 

They  worked  together  more  than  45  years,  a  longer  period 
of  united  service  than  that  of  any  other  two  unmarried  ladies 
in  Turkey.  Their  father  was  a  Presbyterian  minister  of 
Philadelphia,  and  their  mother  an  English  lady.  They  were 
graduates  of  Mt.  Holyoke  Seminary.  Meeting  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
George  C.  Knapp  on  an  Atlantic  steamer,  the  sisters  were 
greatly  impressed  by  the  story  of  the  work  in  Bitlis,  and  in 
1868  they  accompanied  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knapp  on  their  return 
to  Turkey. 

The  city  to  which  they  gave  their  life  is,  in  some  respects, 
the  most  difficult  field  in  the  Turkish  empire.  Situated  on 
the  steep  westerly  slope  of  the  Kourdistan  mountains,  12 
miles  from  Lake  Van  and  5,000  feet  above  the  sea,  Bitlis  lies 
at  the  head  of  a  deep  valley  or  gorge  30  miles  long,  through 
which  it  is  thought  Xenophon's  "Ten  Thousand"  fled  on 
their  way  to  the  Black  Sea.  In  1914  the  city  had  30,000 
inhabitants,  one-third  Armenians,  and  the  rest  Moslems, 
mostly  of  Kourdish  extraction.  The  place  is  isolated  and 
difficult  of  access,  especially  in  winter  when  the  whole  region 
is  covered  with  snow  sometimes  15  feet  deep. 

To  this  city  came  Rev.  and  Mrs.  George  C.  Knapp  in  1858, 
and  here  they  labored  until  Mr.  Knapp 's  death  in  1895, 
nearly  37  years.  Here  and  in  the  surrounding  towns  and 
villages  the  Armenians,  though  very  poor  and  ignorant,  had 
a  strong  hold,  and  their  ecclesiastics  ruled  with  a  rod  of  iron, 
being  especially  severe  towards  any  who  gave  signs  of  en- 
lightenment. Sometimes  with  and  sometimes  without  any 
male  missionary  associate,  pained  by  the  ignorance  and 
superstition  of  the  people,  sorely  grieved  by  persecution,  and 
by  oppressions  and  massacres  to  which  all  the  Christians 
were  subject,  handicapped  by  lack  of  adequate  means, 
and  exposed  to  constant  danger  on  tours,  Mr.  Knapp  with 
great  patience,  fidelity  and  courage  continued  his  labor  to 
the  end  of  his  life.  In  1883  he  was  attacked  by  Kourdish 


172  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

robbers  and  both  he  and  his  companion,  Dr.  George  C.  Ray- 
nolds,  were  cruelly  beaten  and  wounded.  Yet,  through  the 
help  of  God,  Mr.  Knapp  saw  a  strong,  self-supporting  church 
established  in  Bitlis,  ministered  to  for  many  years  by  Rev. 
Simon  Tavitian,  an  excellent  pastor;  he  saw  schools  for  boys 
and  girls  in  Bitlis,  and  churches  in  some  20  out-stations,  with 
a  membership  of  250;  several  times  he  saw  precious  revivals 
of  religion,  and  he  helped  to  prepare  not  a  few  young  men  for 
the  ministry.  No  missionary  was  ever  more  heartily  loved 
or  more  deeply  mourned.  In  1884  Rev.  and  Mrs.  R.  M.  Cole, 
after  a  service  of  16  years  in  Erzroum,  came  to  Bitlis,  and 
labored  there  with  zeal  and  success  for  26  years. 

This  was  the  city  where  in  1869  the  Misses  Ely  opened  the 
girls'  boarding  school,  which,  from  love  to  their  alma  mater, 
they  called  "The  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary  for  Kourdistan." 
Here  they  housed,  fed  and  educated  girls  from  the  city  and 
the  villages,  on  an  average,  including  day  pupils,  50  a  year. 
Some  of  the  girls  came  in  dirt  and  rags,  but,  like  precious 
stones,  they  were  capable  of  being  made  fit  to  be  the  corner 
stones  in  the  temple  of  God.  In  spite  of  the  reluctance  of 
parents  to  pay  anything  for  the  education  of  their  girls,  no 
girl  was  received  in  the  school  without  some  payment  for 
board  and  tuition,  generally  made  in  grain  and  other  pro- 
visions. 

In  April,  1913,  Miss  Mary  Ely  was  taken  to  the  missionary 
hospital  in  Beirut  for  treatment,  and  here,  on  May  5,  she  died 
from  heart  disease.  She  had  completed  45  years  of  service, 
marked  by  utter  unselfishness,  single-hearted  devotion  and 
great  success.  Such  was  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  the  re- 
ligious atmosphere  pervading  the  school  that  conversions 
were  frequent,  and  several  times  general  revivals  occurred  in 
both  the  school  and  community.  In  March,  1876,  Miss  Mary 
wrote  thus:  "I  am  burdened  with  joy  and  long  to  tell  you 
about  the  continuance  of  the  precious  revival  here.  From 
the  week  of  prayer  to  the  present  time  a  quiet,  yet  decided, 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       173 

awakening  has  been  going  on.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  speaking 
to  all  classes.  Old  and  young,  men,  women,  and  children  are 
heeding  the  gentle  call,  and  yielding  their  hearts  to  Christ." 
In  1883  Miss  Mary  wrote  as  follows:  "When,  at  times,  we 
are  tempted  to  yield  to  discouragement,  the  recollection  of 
our  sainted  Rebecca  (wife  of  Pastor  Kavme,  of  Redvan),  and 
the  thought  of  these  growing  Christian  girls,  comes  to  us  as 
a  tender  but  forcible  rebuke.  It  is  worth  a  life-time,  spent 
in  self-denial  and  laborious  effort,  to  be  permitted  to  be  in- 
strumental in  raising  up  such  workers. ' '  In  1893,  on  the  25th 
anniversary  of  the  arrival  of  the  Misses  Ely,  Miss  Mary 
wrote:  "I  cannot  put  into  words  any  adequate  expression 
of  the  thoughts  that  fill  our  minds  as  we  think  of  the  un- 
numbered opportunities  and  high  privileges  of  service  granted 
to  us  during  this  long  period."  A  few  months  before  Miss 
Mary's  death,  Miss  Grace  Knapp,  daughter  of  the  pioneer 
missionary,  and  herself  a  missionary  at  Bitlis,  wrote  of  Miss 
Mary  Ely  as  follows:  "She  had  a  great  love  for  nature,  a 
peculiar  love  for  little  children,  a  very  tender  heart,  quick 
sympathies,  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  and  devotion,  and  was 
deeply  beloved  by  the  whole  community."  In  short,  the 
words  of  Mary  Lyon  well  express  the  thought  of  Miss  Mary 
Ely's  life:  "There  is  nothing  in  the  universe  that  I  fear 
but  that  I  shall  not  know  all  my  duty  or  shall  fail  to  do  it. ' ' 

When  in  1909  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cole,  on  account  of  ill  health, 
returned  to  the  homeland,  the  Misses  Ely,  the  only  foreigners 
in  the  city,  and  at  a  distance  of  three  days'  journey  from 
any  English  speaking  missionaries,  for  one  year  carried  on 
the  school  and  attended  to  the  general  work  of  the  station. 

For  45  years  Miss  Charlotte  and  Miss  Mary  Ely  were 
practically  the  only  single  lady  missionaries  in  the  Bitlis  field, 
and  after  Miss  Mary's  death  the  older  sister  for  two  years 
continued  the  work,  with  loving  and  efficient  associates. 

On  July  11,  1915,  the  Master's  call  came  to  Miss  Charlotte, 
and  she  exchanged  a  scene  of  terror  and  massacre  for  the 


174  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

heavenly  rest.  With  what  sorrow  she  must  have  parted  from 
the  suffering  people,  but  with  what  joy  she  was  welcomed 
by  her  sister  and  by  the  hundreds  of  precious  souls  she  was 
instrumental  in  saving! 

Oh,  the  wonderful  change  in  the  life,  the  thoughts  and  the 
hopes  of  women,  which  the  labors  of  the  Ely  sisters  during 
almost  half  a  century  wrought  in  one  of  the  darkest  corners 
of  Turkey! 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  Misses  Ely,  out  of  a  little  prop- 
erty of  their  own,  not  only  contributed  generously  for  the 
education  of  some  of  their  pupils  and  for  the  general  relief, 
but  also  accepted  from  the  American  Board  only  one  salary 
between  them. 

Miss  CORINNA  SHATTUCK 

From  the  arrival  of  Miss  Mary  Reynolds  in  Smyrna  in 
1832  until  the  present  year  (1915),  by  reason  of  conspicuous 
service  many  unmarried  lady  missionaries  in  Turkey  have 
deserved  special  recognition,  and  among  them  all  none  has 
called  forth  more  admiration  than  Miss  Corinna  Shattuck. 
Her  ancestors  were  from  New  England,  but  early  migrated 
to  Kentucky,  and  she  was  born  in  Louisville  on  April  21,  1848. 
When  four  years  old  she  was  bereft  of  father  and  mother, 
and  taken  to  the  home  of  her  grandparents  in  South  Acton, 
Massachusetts.  At  an  early  age  she  consecrated  herself  to 
Christ,  and  when  16  became  a  teacher.  She  was  interested 
in  missions  through  her  pastor's  wife,  and  at  19  went  to  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Framingham,  Massachusetts. 
Through  correspondence  she  formed  an  acquaintance  with 
Miss  Myra  A.  Proctor,  principal  of  the  girl's  boarding  school 
at  Aintab,  and,  in  due  course  joined  that  station  on  November 
18,  1873.  She  became  Miss  Proctor's  assistant,  and  shortly 
after  her  arrival  wrote  as  follows:  "I  am  almost  useless 
until  I  get  my  tongue,  but  I  go  to  the  school  every  day  to 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       175 

study  and  see  the  girls,  as  I  want  them  to  feel  I  have  an 
interest  in  them."  She  must  have  made  rapid  progress  in 
Turkish  and  shown  her  ability,  for  the  year  after  her  arrival, 
in  the  absence  of  Miss  Proctor,  she  was  put  in  charge  of 
the  school. 

Ninety  miles  east  of  Aintab  is  the  city  of  Ourf  a,  the  ancient 
Edessa,  supposed  by  some  to  have  been  "Ur  of  the  Chaldees," 
whence  Abraham  set  out  on  his  journey  to  Canaan.  The 
population,  composed  chiefly  of  Turks  and  Armenians,  num- 
bered about  30,000.  Situated  on  a  fertile  plain,  the  center 
of  several  important  towns  and  many  Turkish  villages,  Ourfa 
is  a  city  of  importance.  Much  Gospel  seed  had  been  sown 
by  various  missionaries,  and  in  1855  an  evangelical  church 
was  formed.  In  1871  Rev.  Hagop  Abouhaiyatian,  a  native 
of  the  city,  who  had  studied  under  Dr.  Schneider  in  Aintab, 
and  then  in  America  and  Germany,  became  pastor,  and  under 
his  ministry  the  church  grew  to  self-support.  In  the  autumn 
of  1876  Miss  Shattuck  accompanied  Dr.  Fuller  on  a  long  tour 
in  the  Ourfa  field.  She  found  in  Ourfa  a  primary  school,  but 
no  high  school,  and,  on  the  appeal  of  the  people,  she  was 
released  from  the  work  in  Aintab,  to  open  in  Ourfa  an  ad- 
vanced school  for  girls,  and  with  a  native  assistant  she  labored 
there  through  the  winter  of  1876-77.  Miss  Shattuck  greatly 
enjoyed  the  work  and  at  the  end  of  the  winter,  delighted  the 
people  with  a  public  examination  of  30  girls  in  the  presence 
of  400  men  and  women.  After  a  visit  of  four  months  in 
Beirut  for  change  and  rest,  Miss  Shattuck  in  company  with 
Miss  Proctor  and  Dr.  Christie,  made  another  visit  to  Ourfa, 
and,  sa}^  Miss  Proctor,  ' '  It  was  enough  to  melt  hearts  of  stone 
to  hear  the  people  beg  Miss  Shattuck  to  remain."  In  De- 
cember, 1877,  Miss  Shattuck,  in  company  with  Miss  Proctor 
and  Mr.  Trowbridge,  visited  Tarsus,  Adana,  and  other  places, 
and  early  in  1878  opened  a  school  for  girls  in  Kessab.  By 
vote  of  the  mission  in  the  summer  of  1878  Miss  Proctor  and 
Miss  Shattuck  were  released  from  the  girls'  school  at  Aintab, 


176  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

and  together  visited  many  places  in  the  Adana  field,  and  spent 
the  winter  there.  In  the  autumn  of  1879  Miss  Shattuck,  on 
account  of  ill  health,  returned  to  America,  and  sought  recovery 
in  Colorado.  After  two  years  she  felt  constrained  to  resign 
from  the  Board.  In  1883,  however,  improved  in  health,  she 
rejoined  the  mission  as  a  teacher  in  the  Central  Turkey  Col- 
lege for  girls  at  Marash.  Here  for  eight  years  she  taught 
and  made  occasional  tours.  To  one  of  her  friends  she  wrote : 
"I  find  I  must  do  more  teaching.  Somehow,  in  spite  of  lame 
Turkish,  there  is  something  the  girls  get  from  us  which  they 
do  not  get  from  native  teachers.  Vim  is  the  English  word 
for  it."  In  1892,  at  her  request,  she  was  again  assigned  to 
Ourfa,  and  accompanied  by  Miss  Ida  Mellinger,  reached  the 
city  in  October.  It  were  difficult  to  determine  which  party 
rejoiced  most,  Miss  Shattuck  or  the  people,  on  account  of  her 
return.  Here  she  remained  17  years,  with  but  a  few  brief 
intervals  of  rest.  She  opened  a  girls'  boarding  school,  and 
in  every  form  of  Christian  work  came  to  the  assistance  of  the 
noble  pastor.  The  events  of  the  awful  massacre  of  1895 
brought  to  the  public  attention  some  of  the  great  qualities 
of  her  character  which  are  worthy  of  perpetual  remembrance. 
The  first  massacre  in  Ourfa  occurred  in  October,  1895, 
when  the  Turkish  mob  plundered  a  considerable  number  of 
Armenian  shops  and  houses  and  killed  about  60  people.  Com- 
pelled by  the  authorities,  the  Armenians  resumed  business, 
but  with  fear  and  trembling.  The  second  massacre  began  on 
the  morning  of  Saturday,  December  28,  and  continued  until 
Monday.  The  Armenians  had  been  stripped  of  every  weapon 
and  made  no  defense.  The  mob,  the  soldiers,  and  the  Kourds 
sacked  the  Armenian  shops  and  houses,  demolishing  some  of 
them  and  killing  all  the  men  and  grown-up  boys  whom  they 
could  catch.  The  most  dreadful  feature  was  the  destruction 
by  fire  and  sword  of  about  2,500  men,  women  and  children, 
who  had  sought  refuge  within  the  strong  stone  walls  of  the 
Armenian  church. 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS      177 

Miss  Shattuck  reported  that  the  number  slain  in  Ourfa 
was  about  5,000,  that  is,  49  per  cent  of  the  Armenian  popula- 
tion. Among  the  slain  were  110  men  of  the  Protestant  com- 
munity. The  English  vice-consul,  Mr.  Fitzmaurice,  and  the 
Turkish  .members  of  a  commission  appointed  by  the  govern- 
ment, on  the  demand  of  England,  made  an  investigation,  and 
Mr.  Fitzmaurice  reported  that  about  8,000  were  slain  in  the 
province  of  Ourfa,  and  that  more  than  6,000  were  forced  to 
become  Mohammedans.  Here  as  elsewhere,  however,  the  latter 
were  afterwards  allowed  to  resume  their  Christian  profession. 
In  Ourfa,  as  elsewhere,  the  massacre  ceased  as  soon  as  the 
authorities  saw  fit  to  intervene. 

During  all  this  dreadful  scene  Miss  Shattuck  was  within 
the  boarding  school  compound,  with  no  male  attendant  save 
her  faithful  Armenian  servant,  Hagopjan.  Orders  had  been 
given  from  Constantinople  to  the  governors  of  the  six  eastern 
provinces  wherein  the  massacres  occurred  that  all  Americans 
were  to  be  protected,  and  three  Turkish  guards  were  sent  to 
warn  off  the  mob  whenever  it  approached  the  street  on  which 
Miss  Shattuck 's  house  stood.  She  wrote  :  ' '  It  was  apparent 
that  the  utmost  was  done  to  protect  me,  but  how  willingly  I 
would  have  died  that  the  thousands  of  parents  might  be  spared 
to  their  children. ' '  Mention  is  made  of  a  mother  who  was  flee- 
ing with  her  two  sons.  They  were  caught  by  the  mob.  Turks 
with  drawn  swords  demanded  that  the  young  men  should 
accept  the  Moslem  faith.  The  mother  called  out:  "Die,  but 
don't  deny  the  Lord."  They  stood  firm  and  were  cut  down. 
Miss  Shattuck  received  all  who  could  get  into  the  compound, 
but,  in  order  the  better  to  protect  the  women  and  children, 
she  led  the  men  by  night  to  the  Protestant  church,  hid  them 
in  the  basement,  locked  the  door  and  kept  the  key.  It  was 
found  that  17  Armenian  houses  and  240  persons  were  ' '  covered 
by  the  shadow"  of  this  single  American  woman  and  were 
saved.  Pastor  Abouhaiyatian  with  his  six  motherless  children 
and  manv  others  had  fled  to  the  house  of  an  Armenian  doctor. 


178  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

The  Turks  attacked  the  house  and  killed  45  men.  The  pastor 
plead  for  life  for  the  sake  of  his  children,  but  when  he  refused 
to  accept  the  Moslem  faith  they  shot  him  through  the  heart. 
The  eldest  daughter,  then  in  her  17th  year,  ran  to  her  father, 
who  said  to  her,  "Fear  not,  the  Lord  is  with  you.  I  have  no 
fear,  for  I  am  going  to  my  dear  Saviour."  The  Turks  took 
the  children  to  a  mosque,  but  after  three  days  they  were 
recovered  by  Miss  Shattuck  who  kept  them  until  provided 
for  by  friends. 

It  was  found  after  the  massacre  that  7,431  widows  and 
orphans  were  left  utterly  destitute.  Miss  Shattuck  was  the 
only  person  in  the  city  through  whom  appeals  could  be  made 
to  the  outside  world,  and,  in  response  to  her  vigorous  and  pa- 
thetic calls,  at  length  aid  came  from  other  parts  of  Turkey, 
from  the  Eed  Cross  and  from  friends  in  America  and  Europe. 
Miss  Shattuck  took  to  her  own  home  150  of  the  most  needy 
orphans,  and  for  the  distribution  of  relief  organized  a  com- 
mittee of  Protestants  and  Gregorians.  The  whole  body  of  the 
surviving  Armenians  looked  to  Miss  Shattuck  for  counsel,  en- 
couragement and  aid,  and  to  a  friend  she  wrote :  * '  All  are 
my  people ;  I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  have  grown  to  love  them. 
God's  Word  and  work  were  the  two  blessed  panaceas  for  these 
sorely  afflicted  women. ' '  She  had  on  her  list  1,495  widows  and 
3,325  orphans.  The  great  task  was  to  give  the  widows  some- 
thing to  do  as  soon  as  possible,  and  so  save  them  from  beg- 
gary and  shame.  Some  of  the  women  she  set  to  work  making 
mattresses  and  quilts  and  clothing;  others  were  taught  to 
embroider  the  cotton  homespun  cloth,  red  and  blue,  for 
cushions,  footstools  and  mats,  and  others  to  make  handker- 
chiefs, doilies  and  lace.  As  soon  as  master  workmen  and 
material  could  be  obtained  the  boys  were  taught  weaving, 
cabinet  and  iron  work,  and  shoemaking.  The  organization 
of  this  industrial  work  took  time,  and  involved  much  care 
and  pains. 

In  1900  Miss  Shattuck  visited  England  and  America  to 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       179 

make  arrangements  for  the  sale  of  goods,  and  two  firms, 
one  English,  and  the  other  German,  became  her  agents. 
While  in  England  funds  were  secured  for  a  new  home  for 
orphan  girls  and  for  their  support.  A  Christian  business 
man  and  artisan  from  England  came  to  Ourfa  and  for  a  while 
took  charge  of  the  industrial  department  for  boys.  In  1905 
Miss  Shattuck  made  a  journey  of  500  miles  on  horseback,  to 
open  up  industrial  work  for  poor  women  in  four  other  cities 
in  the  Ourfa  field.  In  1909  employment  in  embroidery  was 
given  to  2,336  women,  and  the  industrial  department  was 
turning  out  skilled  workmen  in  shoemaking,  tailoring,  car- 
pentry, iron  work,  and  stone  masonry.  A  farm,'  25  miles 
from  Ourfa  had  been  purchased,  which  yielded  wheat  suffi- 
cient to  provide  for  the  orphanage  and  schools,  and  some 
years  there  was  a  considerable  surplus  for  sale.  In  1910 
goods  to  the  value  of  $25,000  were  sold.  Miss  Shattuck 's 
work  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Turkish  authorities,  and 
was  recognized  as  of  immense  value  to  the  city. 

During  this  strenuous  period  of  15  years  (1895-1910)  the 
school  work  and  the  normal  and  religious  instruction  of  the 
people  who  came  under  MisS  Shattuck 's  influence  were  not 
neglected.  In  1896  she  wrote :  ' '  The  awakening  of  interest 
in  education  is  wonderful.  By  last  count  we  had  in  the  two 
sets  of  schools,  Protestant  and  Gregorian,  1,373  pupils.  Six 
women  are  teaching  from  house  to  house  more  than  150 
women  or  large  girls  who  cannot  be  in  school."  Again,  in 
1897  Miss  Shattuck  says:  "In  addition  to  the  relief,  in- 
dustrial and  school  work,  there  is  no  end  to  the  blessed 
spiritual  service  for  all  classes.  Oh,  why  does  not  our  Board 
seize  the  opportunity  for  reaping  seed  long  since  sown  in 
weariness,  faintness,  drought  and  desert?  We  ought  to  have 
more  missionaries,  men  and  women." 

Again,  in  1898  Miss  Shattuck,  returning  to  Ourfa  after  a 
rest  of  two  months  on  Mount  Lebanon,  reports  that  she  had 
two  large  Sunday  schools  and  that,  though  there  was  no 


180  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

pastor  in  the  church,  the  laymen  were  at  the  front  doing 
faithful  work,  and  she  adds:  "I  feel  that  it  is  not  only  un- 
wise, but  positively  wrong  to  run  our  mission  with  such  a 
meager  force."  Two  native  preachers  came  to  carry  forward 
the  work  of  the  martyred  pastor,  but  after  working  from  one 
to  four  years,  each  had  been  obliged  to  withdraw.  Again,  in 
1900,  writing  of  the  spiritual  destitution  of  the  people,  Miss 
Shattuck  says :  ' l  Our  poor  church  in  Ourf a  is  very  much  in 
need  of  a  pastor.  I  cannot  feel  that  our  pastors  who  have 
left  the  country  (for  America)  are  living  up  to  the  height  of 
their  privilege." 

Miss  Shattuck 's  labors  for  the  blind  must  not  be  forgotten. 
A  teacher  in  the  day  school,  Miss  Mary  Haroutunian,  lost  her 
sight,  and  was  sent  to  the  Royal  Normal  College  for  the 
blind  in  London.  Here  she  learned  to  read  books  printed 
with  raised  letters,  and  on  her  return  to  Ourfa  in  1902,  began 
to  teach  the  blind  children.  This  school,  which  bore  Miss 
Shattuck 's  name,  was  the  first  for  the  blind  in  Turkey,  and 
was  very  dear  to  her  heart.  In  1914  the  school  had  32 
students,  two  of  whom  were  going  to  Diarbekir  to  open  a 
school  for  the  blind. 

In  all  these  trying  experiences  Miss  Shattuck  showed  great 
courage.  This  was  manifest  in  1895  when  she  went  straight 
to  the  governor  of  Ourfa,  and  complained  that  Turkish  boys 
threw  stones  at  her  and  insulted  her  in  the  streets.  She  was 
listened  to  with  great  respect,  and  criers  were  sent  through 
the  town  to  warn  the  Turks  that  they  would  be  held  person- 
ally responsible  for  the  doings  of  their  boys.  This  put  an 
end  to  the  insults. 

Again,  her  courage  was  shown  when,  attended  by  her 
servant,  Hagopjan,  and  a  Turkish  guard,  she  traveled  a  long- 
way  on  horseback  to  the  camp  of  Ibrahim  Pasha,  the  com- 
mander of  Kourdish  troops,  and  complained  that  the  soldiers 
were  stealing  sheep  from  the  orphanage  farm  and  terrorizing 
the  shepherds.  The  commander  was,  ^iims,el^  a  cruel  and, 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       181 

violent  man,  but  he  received  her  with  great  courtesy,  com- 
mitted her  to  his  chief  wife  for  entertainment  over  night, 
and  in  the  morning,  after  listening  to  her  complaint,  said: 
* '  If  henceforth  a  lamb  of  your  flock  is  lost,  I  will  repay  it  with 
a  camel."  After  that  the  farm  was  perfectly  safe,  and  the 
pasha,  as  a  token  of  respect,  sent  to  Miss  Shattuck  a  beautiful 
Arab  horse.  Indeed,  in  all  the  dreadful  days  of  the  massacre 
period  of  1895  and  1909  Miss  Shattuck,  by  her  calm  demeanor, 
her  brave  words  and  her  helping  hand  was  the  mainstay  and 
comfort  of  the  Christian  people  of  Ourfa. 

During  17  years  in  Ourfa,  Miss  Shattuck  had  the  counsel 
and  support  of  no  resident  male  missionary,  and  for  much  of 
the  time  was  without  even  a  lady  associate.  For  many  years 
she  labored  under  severe  infirmities,  with  practically  but  one 
lung.  At  length  she  resolved  once  more  to  go  to  America, 
both  to  recuperate  and  to  find  some  one  to  take  her  place. 
Many  thought  that  she  could  not  live  to'  get  there,  but  her 
brave  heart  led  her  on.  The  last  evening  in  Ourfa  she  was 
surrounded  by  the  orphans,  who  sang  the  hymns  she  loved, 
and  three  blind  girls  sang  in  English,  "God  be  with  you  till 
we  meet  again."  Her  last  word  to  them  was:  "I  have  no 
greater  joy  than  to  hear  that  my  children  walk  in  the  truth." 
She  begged  her  loving  friends  not  to'  attend  her  on  her  de- 
parture, for  the  parting  on  the  road  would  be  more  than  she 
could  bear.  During  the  voyage  she  did  not  leave  her  state- 
room, but  everything  possible  was  done  for  her  comfort. 
Before  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  at  Boston,  a  wireless  mes- 
sage informed  the  officers  of  the  Board  of  her  coming,  and, 
at  their  request,  she  was  met  at  the  wharf  by  the  writer's 
son,  Dr.  Edward  M.  Greene,  with  ambulance  and  nurse,  and 
for  14  days  received  the  tenderest  care.  Her  frail  body,  with 
hardly  an  organ  unimpaired,  could  no  longer  bear  the  strain, 
and  on  May  22,  1910,  she  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  She  was  buried 
in  Newton  cemetery  near  the  graves  of  several  missionaries 
who  had  seen  service  in  Turkey.  Over  her  has  been  placed 


182  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

a  beautiful  stone  with  an  Armenian  inscription,  the  English 
of  which  is:  "Erected  in  loving  memory  by  the  Ourfa 
Armenians. ' ' 

It  may  be  added  that  in  1911  the  work  begun  by  Miss  Shat- 
tuck  was  placed  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Francis  H.  Leslie. 
After  four  years  of  most  useful  service,  carrying  forward 
the  many  industries  instituted  by  Miss  Shattuck,  Mr.  Leslie 
died  under  most  painful  circumstances.  A  massacre  of  the 
Armenians  occurred  in  Ourfa  in  July,  1915,  and  the  deporta- 
tion of  the  survivors  followed  from  time  to  time.  Finally, 
a  remnant  of  the  Armenians  fled  to  the  mission  premises,  and. 
holding  Mr.  Leslie  as  a  hostage,  erected  barricades  and  de- 
fended themselves  against  the  Turks  from  September  29  to 
October  15.  After  that  date  Mr.  Leslie  was  frequently  called 
to  the  Government  House  and  questioned.  His  house  was 
searched  and  money  and  valuables  left  in  his  care  and  the 
property  of  the  industrial  schools  were  seized.  The  awful 
events  through  which  he  passed,  the  killing  of  his  trusted 
helpers  and  of  many  other  Armenian  friends,  including  the 
hanging  of  the  pastor  of  the  Protestant  church,  in  short, 
according  to  the  official  report  of  Dr.  Shepard,  an  accumula- 
tion of  horrors  preyed  upon  Mr.  Leslie's  mind,  and  he  fell 
into  a  state  of  melancholy.  Finally,  on  October  30,  he  was 
found  unconscious  in  front  of  the  house  of  Herr  Kunzler,  a 
German  missionary,  and  soon  died.  His  funeral  was  con- 
ducted by  Herr  Kunzler,  20  of  the  interned  subjects  of  lands 
at  war  with  Turkey  acting  as  mourners.  Thus,  the  death  of 
their  most  faithful  friend  and  helper  followed  the  destruction 
of  thousands  of  widows  and  children  whom  he  came  to  serve 
and  save. 

Did  space  permit,  it  were  pleasant  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
girls'  boarding  schools  in  Aintab,  Hadjin,  Adana,  Smyrna, 
Brousa,  Talas,  Erzroum,  Van,  and  elsewhere,  especially  to 
give  sketches  of  the  ladies  who  were  the  founders.  Formerly 
some  old  men,  even  bishops,  told  how  well  their  mothers  and 


ALEXANDER     BEZJIAN 


SARKIS    LEVONIAN 

Professors  Bezjian  and 
Levonian  were  leaders 
in  Aintab  College,  and 
the  latter  was  martyred 
with  a  group  of  20 
teachers  and  pastors  in 
1909. 


F.    H.    LESLIE    IN    ARAB    DRESS 
Died  under  the  strain  at  Ourfa,   1915 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOE  GIRLS       183 

their  mothers'  mothers  had  gotten  along  without  education, 
but  now  even  the  Turks  have  found  out  that  from  every 
point  of  view  it  does  not  pay  to  keep  one-half  of  the  popula- 
tion in  ignorance.  It  was  Christ  who  led  the  way  in  paying 
respect  to  woman,  and  from  his  day  to  the  present  it  is  the 
Christian  church  that  has  led  in  the  elevation  of  woman.  It 
has  been  a  slow  and  long  process,  and  500,000,000  women 
and  girls  still  wait  for  education  and  enlightenment;  but, 
especially  in  the  past  century,  a  wonderful  advance  has  been 
made.  When  we  remember  that  Mary  Lyon  started  the  first 
female  seminary  in  America  in  1837,  let  us  not  be  too  hard  on 
the  Turks.  Even  their  eyes  are  opening  now.  It  was  a  great 
eye-opener  to  all  the  people  of  Turkey  when  for  the  first  time 
unmarried  young  ladies  came  out  as  missionaries.  No  won- 
der the  Turks  inquired,  "Are  there  no  men  .in  America 
to  marry  such  fine  young  women,  that  they  should  come  to 
Turkey  to  teach  girls  to  read  and  write?"  Yes,  indeed, 
they  were  fine,  not  a  few  of  them  fitted  to  be  the  principals  of 
the  best  girls'  schools  in  America!  And  what  a  debt  of 
gratitude  Turkey  owes  to  such  women !  Witness  the  trans- 
formation wrought  in  the  rude  girls  of  the  interior  of  Tur- 
key who  were  favored  to  spend  a  few  years  in  one  of  the 
mission  boarding  schools.  Witness,  for  example,  the  wonder- 
ful work  wrought  by  Mrs.  Coifing  in  Hadjin.  It  was  a  work 
fit  for  angels.  And,  in  fact,  to  many  of  the  people  of  Turkey, 
especially  to  the  mothers,  our  lady  teachers  seemed  like  angels. 
And  the  joy  of  such  a  service !  For  more  than  50  years  the 
writer  had  the  opportunity  to  meet  nearly  all  the  unmarried 
lady  missionaries  who  came  to  Turkey,  and  he  does  not  re- 
member a  single  one  who  did  not  rejoice  in  the  service.  Many 
of  them  have  already  heard  from  the  Master  himself  the 
precious  words:  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant." 

The  first  school  for  girls,  established  at  Constantinople  and 
transferred  to  Mar  so  van,  was  the  work  of  the  American 
Board,  but  for  the  great  development  of  education  and  other 


184  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

forms  of  labor  for  girls  and  women  we  are  indebted  to  the 
Woman's  Board  of  Boston  and  the  similar  Boards  of  the 
Interior  and  the  Pacific.  The  Christian  women  of  the  Con- 
gregational churches  came  forward  in  the  very  nick  of  time 
and  their  zeal,  energy  and  courage  have  been  beyond  all 
praise.  For  nearly  50  years  they  have  been  carrying  for- 
ward this  work  with  self-sacrificing  devotion,  and  their  gifts 
amount  to  nearly  one-third  of  the  annual  revenue  of  the 
American  Board.  Their  missionaries  have  done  work  which 
110  man  could  do,  and  work  absolutely  indispensable  to  the 
success  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  This  enterprise  is  a 
manifest  failure  unless  it  reaches,  educates,  and  Christian- 
izes the  girls  and  women  of  heathen  and  Mohammedan  lands. 
All  praise  to  God  then  for  the  efforts  of  the  Woman's 
Boards!" 

CENTRAL  TURKEY  COLLEGE  FOR  GIRLS 

In  1861  Dr.  H.  G.  0.  Dwight  visited  Marash,  and  wrote  as 
follows:  "This  place  is,  indeed,  a  missionary  wonder! 
Twelve  years  ago  there  was  not  a  Protestant  here,  and  the 
people  were  proverbially  ignorant,  barbarous  and  fanatical. 
On  the  Sabbath  I  preached  to  a  congregation  of  over  1,000, 
and  in  the  afternoon  addressed  nearly  1,500  people.  Forty 
new  members  were  admitted  to  the  church,  making  their 
present  number  227.  I  wished  that  our  dear  friends  in 
America  could  see  this  sight!" 

In  1865  a  building  for  a  girls'  school  was  erected,  and  Mrs. 
Josephine  L.  Cofnng,  whose  husband  was  killed  by  robbers 
in  1862,  took  charge.  By  tact  and  argument  she  helped  to 
dispel  the  prejudice  of  the  men  against  the  education  of  girls, 
and  soon  had  30  pupils.  Aided  by  a  graduate  of  Miss  Proc- 
tor's school  at  Aintab,  Mrs.  Coning  found  time  to  supervise 
the  four  Protestant  common  schools,  and  also  to  direct  the 
Bible  women  in  the  Marash  district.  In  1870,  among  the 


CENTRAL  TURKEY  COLLEGE  FOR  GIRLS,  MARASH 


GIRLS  BOARDING  SCHOOL,  AINTAB 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIELS       185 

pupils  were  six  wives  of  theological  students.  In  1872  girls 
from  the  villages  were  received  as  boarders. 

In  1873  an  event  occurred  which  threw  the  city  into  great 
excitement,  and  ended  in  the  triumph  of  the  Protestants. 
One  of  the  girls  of  the  boarding  school  was  induced  by  false 
statements  to  visit  the  house  of  a  relative,  and  there,  without 
the  consent  either  of  the  girl  or  her  parents,  a  sham  marriage 
was  performed.  This  gross  wrong  aroused  the  whole  Protes- 
tant community.  An  appeal  was  immediately  made  to  the 
Turkish  governor,  the  girl  was  rescued  and  committed  for 
safe-keeping  to  a  Catholic  Armenian  family,  and,  after  30 
days  of  contention,  by  a  righteous  decision  of  the  court  the 
girl  was  returned  to  the  school.  This  was  regarded  as  a  great 
victory  for  young  women  in  Turkey  in  the  matter  of  mar- 
riage. In  1874,  out  of  25  teachers  in  the  Protestant  schools 
of  the  Marash  station,  19  were  women.  This,  too,  indicated 
a  notable  change  in  public  sentiment.  In  a  revival  which  oc- 
curred in  1877  every  girl  in  the  school  professed  a  decision 
for  Christ. 

In  1879  it  was  decided  to  remove  the  girls'  school  from 
Marash  to  Had j in,  60  miles  northwest,  as  a  center  in  greater 
need  of  such  an  institution,  and  Mrs.  Coifing,  accompanied 
by  Miss  Charlotte  D.  Spencer,  returned  to  the  city  from  which 
in  1861  she  and  her  husband  had  been  driven  away.  The 
ladies  were  received  with  unbounded  joy,  and  in  that  city 
of  20,000  Armenians,  hidden  away  in  a  rocky  gorge  in  the 
heart  of  the  Taurus  mountains,  Mrs.  Coning  spent  the  re- 
maining 25  years  of  her  missionary  life,  and  wrought  a  work 
for  girls  and  women,  and  for  men  too,  almost  unparalleled  in 
the  missionary  annals  of  Turkey. 

The  removal  of  the  girls'  school  from  Marash  left  the  Prot- 
estants in  deep  despondency.  At  that  time  they  numbered 
2,500,  with  1,000  church  members  and  600  school  children. 
Intent  on  providing  for  the  higher  education  of  their  girls, 
a  committee  of  the  native  community,  out  of  extreme  poverty, 


186  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

brought  in  a  bag  to  the  missionaries  500  Turkish  pounds  in 
gold  ($2,200),  in  order  to  secure  the  location  in  Marash  of 
the  Central  Turkey  College  for  Girls.  This  subscription  cost 
great  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  all  classes;  even  the  very  poor 
brought  pieces  of  copper,  and  the  women  sold  rugs  and 
jewelry,  one  woman  giving  her  wedding  ring,  that  they  might 
share  in  the  blessed  work  of  founding  an  institution  to  uplift 
their  sex.  To  the  above  sum  the  Woman's  Board  of  the  In- 
terior added  $4,400,  and  in  1883  a  fine  new  building  was  com- 
pleted. This  building,  the  theological  seminary,  the  academy 
and  the  houses  of  the  missionaries  form  a  compound  on  high 
ground  overlooking  the  city,  with  abundant  space,  good  water, 
pure  air,  and  a  fine  view  of  the  Amanus  mountains.  There 
is  also  in  the  center  of  the  city  an  academy  with  a  fine  record 
for  fitting  boys  for  college.  Towards  the  endowment  of  this 
academy  the  Protestants  gave  $2,200,  and  friends  in  Scotland 
added  $6,600. 

The  college  was  opened  in  1882  in  the  house  of  a  mission- 
ary, and  a  year  later  was  established  with  great  joy  in  the 
new  building.  In  1904  a  second  and  larger  stone  building 
was  erected  by  the  Woman's  Board.  From  the  outset  the 
college  has  had  a  mixed  board  of  managers,  four  Americans 
appointed  by  the  mission,  and  four  natives  appointed  by  the 
Cilicia  Union.  This  board,  on  recommendation  of  the  faculty, 
appoints  the  native  teachers  and  has  general  charge  of  the 
finances.  One-third  of  the  running  expenses,  aside  from  sal- 
aries of  the  American  teachers,  has  been  met  by  receipts  for 
tuition,  board  and  music,  and  the  other  two-thirds  have  been 
paid  by  the  Woman's  Board.  Owing  to  poverty  expenses 
are  kept  low,  the  full  price  for  board  being  but  $26.40  yearly. 
The  regular  course  of  study  extends  over  six  years,  two  in 
the  preparatory  department  and  four  in  the  college.  The 
course  includes  Turkish,  Armenian,  English,  algebra,  the 
natural  sciences,  physiology,  psychology,  ethics,  general  his- 
tory, history  of  religion,  and  English  literature.  The  text 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       187 

books  are  in  English.  The  girls  are  also  taught  sewing,  dress- 
making, and  domestic  science.  A  five  year  course  in  instru- 
mental music  is  also  offered.  Besides  the  Bible  lessons  which 
extend  through  the  course,  there  are  daily  religious  exercises, 
class  prayer  meetings,  and  various  forms  of  Christian  service 
in  Sunday  schools "  and  among  the  people.  At  the  end  of 
25  years  (1910),  570  pupils  had  studied  for  a  year  or  more, 
and  in  1914  the  alumnae  numbered  214.  Up  to  1910,  161  pu- 
pils had  served  as  teachers.  Almost  all  the  women  teachers 
in  the  Protestant  and  Gregorian  schools  of  Marash  and 
throughout  the  district  were  trained  in  the  college.  Many 
pupils  became  wives  of  pastors,  teachers,  and  other  important 
men.  The  influence  of  these  educated  women  in  their  homes, 
in  training  their  children  and  in  the  churches  was  greatly 
appreciated.  A  remarkable  change  of  public  opinion  as  to 
the  position  of  women  has  occurred.  As  is  stated  in  the 
sketch  of  the  Central  Turkey  Girls'  College,  published  by 
the  Woman's  Board  of  the  Interior,  the  girls  themselves  now 
have  a  voice  in  the  decision  as  to  the  men  they  are  to  marry. 
In  short,  the  college,  which  now  (1915)  has  140  students,  is 
the  educational  center  for  women  throughout  the  region. 
Within  the  past  few  years  the  ladies  of  the  college  have  opened 
a  primary  school,  chiefly  for  Moslem  girls,  and  not  a  few 
daughters  of  government  officials  and  of  other  influential 
Turks  have  attended  it.  In  1915  there  were  17  pupils.  Thus 
the  way  has  been  opened  for  a  pleasant  acquaintance  with 
Moslem  women. 

With  all  its  limitations  the  college  has  accomplished  a  re- 
markable work,  both  in  an  intellectual  and  religious  sense, 
but  it  greatly  needs  a  larger  equipment  and,  for  the  prepara- 
tory department,  a  third  building. 

One  of  the  saddest  losses  of  the  college  was  the  death  from 
cholera,  in  1912,  of  Miss  Cora  M.  Welpton,  for  11  years  the 
devoted  and  successful  head  of  the  music  department.  Of  her 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Chambers,  of  Adana,  wrote  as  follows:  "Im- 


188  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

bued  with  the  spirit  of  her  Saviour,  she  adorned  the  position 
she  had  in  the  college.  A  peer  in  a  splendid  band  of  women 
working  for  the  cause  of  Christ  in  Central  Turkey  she  could 
ill  be  spared. "  It  is  pleasant,  however,  to  read  in  the  Annual 
Report  of  the  American  Board  for  1914  the  following: 
"  There  is  joy  over  the  promise  of  a  new  music  building,  to 
be  called  the  Welpton  Memorial  Building.  The  corner  stone 
was  laid  in  April,  1914.  It  will  have  practice  rooms,  a  glee 
club  room,  and  an  assembly  hall.  The  alumnae  have  given  a 
new  piano."  This  Memorial  Building  has  now  been  com- 
pleted and  occupied. 

Since  the  opening,  in  1882,  12  American  ladies  have  served 
the  college,  with  rare  devotion  and  ability,  but  for  length  of 
service  (30  years)  and  for  zeal,  enthusiasm,  and  wise  admin- 
istration the  palm  belongs  to  the  president  of  the  college, 
Miss  Ellen  M.  Blakely. 

CONSTANTINOPLE  COLLEGE 

After  the  mission  boarding  school  for  girls  was  closed  in 
Constantinople  in  1862,  the  call  for  the  higher  education  of 
girls  became  so  insistent  that  in  1871  the  "Home  School" 
was  established  by  the  ladies  of  the  "Woman's  Board.  The 
principal  of  the  school  from  1871  to  1876  was  Miss  Julia  A. 
Rappleye,  a  very  capable  and  successful  teacher.  In  this  in- 
terval the  Woman's  Board  had  raised  the  sum  of  $50,000  for 
the  purchase  of  land  and  the  erection  of  a  new  building  on 
the  heights  of  Scutari,  on  the  Asiatic  side  of  the  Bosphorus, 
and  to  this  building  the  Home  School  was  removed  in  1876. 
The  same  year  Miss  Rappleye  withdrew,  in  order  to  open  a 
new  boarding  school  for  girls  in  Brousa,  and  Mrs.  Kate  Pond 
Williams  became  principal.  In  1880,  Dr.  George  W.  Wood, 
the  special  counselor  of  the  school,  wrote  as  follows:  "The 
Home  School  is  conquering  success,  and  is  helping  the  whole 
mission  work  greatly.  It  is  conciliating  kind  feeling,  raising 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       189 

up  well  qualified  teachers  and  wives,  and  giving  us  access  to 
many  new  families."  The  same  year  there  were  four  Turk- 
ish girls  in  the  school — a  notable  event,  since  the  girls  were 
sent  by  brave  parents  in  spite  of  much  opposition.  In  1882 
a  beautiful  new  building  was  erected  and  named  Barton  Hall 
in  memory  of  the  wife  of  the  donor,  Mr.  W.  C.  Chapin,  of 
Providence,  R.  I.  That  year  the  income  from  the  pupils 
had  risen  to  $8,017.  Referring  to  the  spacious  grounds  and 
the  fine  new  building,  Dr.  Wood  wrote  thus :  ' '  It  is  a  really 
marvelous  ordering  of  Providence  that  has  furnished  such 
a  property  for  such  a  use  in  Constantinople."  In  1883  Mrs. 
Williams  returned  to  America,  and  Miss  Mary  Mills  Patrick 
became  principal.  Miss  Patrick  had  ample  experience  in 
teaching  in  the  girls'  boarding  school  at  Erzroum  (1871-76), 
and  in  the  Home  School  at  Constantinople;  she  also  received 
from  the  University  of  Berne,  Switzerland,  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy.  In  1890  a  charter  was  obtained  from 
Massachusetts,  and  the  Home  School  became  the  American 
College  for  Girls. 

In  1905  Barton  Hall  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  this  sug- 
gested to  Dr.  Patrick,  the  president,  the  removal  of  the  college, 
for  various  important  reasons,  from  the  Asiatic  to  the  Euro- 
pean side  of  the  Bosphorus.  Finally,  a  most  eligible  site  of 
some  50  acres  of  land  was  purchased  at  Arnaoutkeuy,  five 
miles  from  Constantinople.  The  land  rises  from  the  shore 
of  the  Bosphorus  some  400  feet,  and  affords  most  beautiful 
views,  second  only  to  those  of  Robert  College,  two  miles  fur- 
ther up  on  the  same  side  of  the  Bosphorus.  A  new  board 
of  trustees  was  formed  in  New  York,  and  in  1908  a  new 
charter  was  granted  to  the  college  by  the  legislature  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Thus  the  college  became  an  independent  institu- 
tion. The  removal  of  the  college  to  the  new  site  was  sanc- 
tioned by  the  Turkish  government,  and  by  the  help  of  friends 
in  New  York  a  magnificent  group  of  buildings  has  been 
erected  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Rutan,  an  eminent  archi- 


190  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

tect  of  Boston.  The  chief  benefactors  of  the  college  have 
been  Mrs.  Helen  Gould  Shepard,  Mrs.  Russell  Sage,  Mrs. 
Henry  Woods,  Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge,  Miss  Olivia  E.  P. 
Stokes,  and  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller,  by  whose  combined 
beneficence,  amounting  to  over  half  a  million  of  dollars,  an 
Administration  Building,  Science  Hall,  Dormitory,  Dining 
Hall,  and  Power  House  have  been  erected.  Other  needed 
buildings  are  to  follow.  The  Alumnae  Association  has  shown 
a  great  and  generous  interest  in  their  Alma  Mater. 

In  1912  by  vote  of  the  trustees  it  was  decided  to  name  the 
institution  "Constantinople  College."  Up  to  this  time  the 
graduates  numbered  124,  from  14  different  nationalities. 
Even  during  the  Balkan  war  of  1912-13  Bulgarian,  Greek, 
and  Turkish  girls  continued  their  studies  harmoniously  side 
by  side.  It  is  told  that  a  little  Bulgarian  girl  said  to  her 
Turkish  neighbor  at  the  table:  "My  father  is  an  officer  in 
the  Bulgarian  army."  The  little  Turk  answered:  "My 
father  is  an  officer  in  the  Turkish  army,  and  that  makes  us 
sisters,  doesn't  it?"  In  1912  Miss  Florence  A.  Fensham,  one 
of  the  most  devoted  friends  of  the  college,  a  teacher  for  many 
years,  sometime  dean,  and,  at  times,  in  the  absence  of  Dr. 
Patrick,  the  acting  president,  died  suddenly  in  Chicago.  In 
her  memory  a  service  was  held  at  the  college,  with  a  fitting 
address  by  Dr.  Robert  Chambers.  In  September,  1914,  amid 
"the  clash  of  armies  and  the  crumbling  of  empires,"  the  col- 
lege opened  in  the  new  buildings  with  almost  the  usual  num- 
ber of  students,  and  during  the  college  year  studies  were 
continued  without  interruption.  In  a  fine  building  owned 
by  the  college,  on  the  shore  of  the  Bosphorus,  there  is  a  large 
and  very  successful  preparatory  department  under  the  charge 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  William  S.  Murray.  The  corps  of  instruc- 
tors, including  those  in  the  musical  department,  numbers  up- 
wards of  30.  The  language  of  the  college  is  English,  but  all 
the  chief  modern,  and  many  ancient,  languages  are  taught. 
The  course  of  study,  which  leads  to  the  degree  of  Bachelor 


CONSTANTINOPLE   COLLEGE  FOE  WOMEN 
At  Arnaoutkeuy,   two   miles   from   Robert   College. 


MOHAMMEDAN   STUDENTS   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE    COLLEGE 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  FOR  GIRLS       191 

of  Arts,  includes  history,  language,  literature,  philosophy, 
art,  science,  and  mathematics.  As  regards  its  location,  equip- 
ment, and  opportunities  for  study,  this  college  for  girls  has 
no  rival  in  the  Near  East.  Towards  meeting  the  current  ex- 
penses the  college  has  had,  some  years,  from  the  tuition  and 
board  of  the  students,  an  income  of  about  $25,000,  but  for  its 
highest  usefulness  it  needs  an  ample  endowment.  The  cat- 
alogue of  1912  states:  "The  aim  of  the  college  is  to  offer 
facilities  for  broad  and  high  intellectual  culture  and  for  the 
development  of  a  complete  character.  It  is  a  Christian  col- 
lege, conducted  with  the  aim  that  the  teachings  of  Christ 
shall  become  the  controlling  power  in  the  lives  of  the  stu- 
dents; yet  no  student  is  refused  admittance  to  the  college, 
or  denied  any  of  its  privileges,  honors  or  degrees  on  account 
of  her  religious  opinions." 


CHAPTER  XI 
HIGH  SCHOOLS  FOR  BOYS 

WHEN  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodell  took  up  their  residence  in 
Constantinople  in  1831,  so  far  as  known,  there  was  no  high 
school  for  boys  in  all  Turkey.  In  1834  the  missionaries 
opened  the  first  such  school  in  Pera,  the  European  quarter 
of  Constantinople.  In  1840  this  school  was  reopened  in  the 
village  of  Bebek,  under  the  management  of  Rev.  Cyrus  Ham- 
lin,  and  eventually  became  both  a  high  school  and  a  theolog- 
ical seminary.  Dr.  Hamlin's  connection  with  the  Bebek  Sem- 
inary and  with  the  American  Board  terminated  in  1860,  and 
he  entered  on  the  founding  of  Robert  College.  The  success 
of  this  first  high  school  for  boys  led  the  way  to  the  opening 
of  others  in  many  of  the  principal  cities  of  Asia  Minor  and 
of  the  Balkan  peninsula.  In  1913  these  schools  numbered  33, 
with  some  2,500  students.  In  a  course  of  study  lasting  four 
years  these  schools  have  given  a  thorough  training  in  the 
principal  languages  spoken  in  Turkey,  in  mathematics,  sci- 
ence, intellectual  philosophy,  history  and  the  Bible.  They 
have  prepared  many  students  for  college  and  a  much  larger 
number  for  professional  occupations  and  for  business. 

THE  BITHYNIA  HIGH  SCHOOL  FOR  BOYS 

This  school  is  located  in  the  town  of  Bardizag,  of  7,000 
inhabitants,  all  Armenians.  The  town  is  beautifully  situated 
on  the  mountain  side,  three  miles  from  the  shore  of  the  Gulf 
of  Nicomedia,  and  60  miles  east  of  Constantinople.  Here  an 
evangelical  church  was  formed  in  1856,  and  here,  in  1879, 

192 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  FOR  BOYS  193 

Rev.  John  E.  Pierce  and  wife,  after  10  years  in  Erzroum, 
took  up  their  residence.  In  1880  Mr.  Pierce  opened  a  boys 
school,  the  only  one  under  evangelical  management  in  a  region 
larger  than  New  England.  The  school  met  a  want  which  had 
long  been  felt  both  by  Protestants  and  Gregorians,  and  in  a 
brief  period  the  pupils  increased  from  15  to  80.  Mr.  Pierce 
gave  himself  to  this  school  with  great  devotion  and,  though 
ever  embarrassed  by  lack  of  means,  with  great  success.  He 
was  beloved  by  pupils  and  people,  and  his  wife  was  an  in- 
valuable helper.  He  returned  to  America  in  1890,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Robert  Chambers,  a  graduate  of  Queen's 
University,  Canada,  who  had  also  labored  for  10  years  in 
Erzroum.  For  21  years,  under  Dr.  Chambers,  the  school  had 
a  remarkable  growth.  An  ideal  site  was  purchased  east  of 
the  town,  commanding  a  magnificent  view  of  the  gulf  and 
city  of  Nicomedia.  By  an  increase  in  the  number  of  pupils, 
by  raising  the  charge  for  tuition  and  board,  and  by  a  small 
annual  grant  from  the  American  Board  Dr.  Chambers  was 
able,  with  great  economy,  to  meet  the  current  expenses.  With 
rare  skill  in  securing  the  sympathy  and  support  of  friends, 
both  native  and  foreign,  he  obtained  financial  help,  and,  in 
1899,  was  able  to  erect  on  the  new  site  a  large  new  building, 
called  Pierce  Hall.  Another  building,  called  Chambers  Hall, 
was  the  gift  of  the  alumni.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  other 
missionary  in  Turkey  but  Dr.  Chambers  could  have  sur- 
mounted the  financial  difficulties  in  his  way,  and,  in  spite  of 
the  hindrances  of  local  officials,  could  have  carried  through 
to  success  his  building  operations.  A  building  for  the  pre- 
paratory department  has  also  been  erected  and  is  named  the 
Favre  Home  for  Boys,  in  honor  of  a  generous  friend,  Mr. 
Favre,  of  Geneva,  Switzerland.^  For  many  years  the  care 
of  orphans,  left  by  the  massacre  of  1895,  and  of  the  younger 
boys  of  the  preparatory  school,  has  been  assumed  by  Miss 
Sophia  Newnham,  an  English  lady  who  has  served  the  school 
with  the  utmost  devotion.  By  the  generous  help  of  Miss 


194  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Newnham  and  her  family  and  friends,  a  building  called 
Newnham  Hall  was  completed  in  1908,  and  has  an  office  room, 
a  study-hall,  and  class  rooms  for  the  boys  of  the  Favre  Home. 
Without  such  devoted  and  godly  women  as  Miss  Newnham  the 
work  of  the  Board  in  some  places  would  be  in  a  sad  plight. 
By  the  help  of  Mr.  Kennedy,  a  former  teacher,  and  his  wife, 
still  another  building  for  the  industrial  department  of  the 
Boys  Home  has  been  erected;  also  a  house  to  accommodate 
an  assistant  American  teacher  and  his  family.  The  prepara- 
tory school  and  the  high  school  have,  each,  a  four  years' 
course,  and  the  latter  has  been  officially  recognized  by  the 
government  as  a  secondary  school  whose  students  are  to  be 
received  into  the  professional  schools  of  Constantinople.  Its 
graduates  have  been  admitted  to  Eobert  College  without  ex- 
amination. 

From  the  beginning  of  his  service  Dr.  Chambers  had  the 
loyal  support  of  able  and  devoted  native  teachers,  whom  no 
inducement  could  draw  away.  One  of  these,  Mr.  Der  Hago- 
pian,  has  served  with  indefatigable  zeal  for  33  years;  and 
another,  Dr.  Der  Sdepanian,  has  served  most  efficiently,  both 
as  physician  and  teacher  for  nearly  the  same  length  of  time. 
In  1912  Dr.  Chambers  returned  to  America  on  account  of 
impaired  health,  and  Rev.  James  P.  McNaughton,  a  mission- 
ary for  more  than  20  years  in  Smyrna,  assumed  charge.  In 
1914  the  whole  number  of  pupils,  including  114  in  the  Boys' 
Home,  was  396.  They  came  from  all  parts  of  Turkey,  and 
from  Armenian  families  in  Roumania,  Serbia,  Russia,  Egypt, 
and  the  Soudan.  By  means  of  its  excellent  teachers,  its  su- 
perior course  of  study  and  its  vital  religious  atmosphere  the 
school  has  provided  a  Christian  education  for  several  hundred 
young  men.  It  has  most  hopeful  prospects  for  the  future, 
but  it  needs  and  deserves  a  better  equipment  of  apparatus  and 
books,  and  a  modest  endowment  to  provide  for  the  emergencies 
which  may  confront  it. 

Alas!  in  1915  all  the  Armenian  teachers  and  all  the  in- 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  FOR  BOYS  195 

habitants  of  the  town  were  deported,  and  what  has  become  of 
them  is,  up  to  the  present  time,  June,  1916,  unknown. 

BOYS  HIGH  SCHOOL,  TALAS  (CESABEA) 

Cesarea,  400  miles  southeast  of  Constantinople,  is  one  of 
the  oldest  cities  of  the  world.  About  A.  D.  15  Tiberius  Caesar 
made  Cappadocia  a  Roman  province,  and  the  name  Cesarea 
was  given  to  its  capital.  It  is  situated  on  a  high  plateau  at 
the  base  of  Mount  Argaeus,  and  has  a  mild  and  healthful 
climate.  Its  population  is  about  60,000,  and  that  of  the 
province  800,000.  Of  these,  500,000  are  Mohammedans,  and 
the  remainder  are  about  equally  divided  between  the  Ar- 
menians and  Greeks.  In  1839  two  Armenians,  one  of  them 
named  Hovhannes  Der  Sahagian,  the  first  Armenian  in  Con- 
stantinople enlightened  by  the  teaching  of  the  missionaries, 
were  banished  to  a  monastery  near  Cesarea.  "They  brought 
with  them  to  the  monastery  their  principles  and  their 
tongues."  After  a  year  they  were  recalled,  but  they  had 
sowed  good  seed.  Again,  in  1845,  an  enlightened  priest  was 
banished  to  the  same  monastery,  but  he  preached  with  such 
success  that  the  Armenian  bishop  of  Cesarea  wrote  to  his  su- 
perior in  Constantinople  as  follows :  "If  you  do  not  call  this 
man  back,  we  here  shall  all  become  Protestants."  In  1823 
the  agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  visited 
Cesarea,  and  the  Scriptures  sold  at  this  time  bore  much  fruit. 
In  1854  the  city  was  occupied  as  a  mission  station  by  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Farnsworth  and  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  N.  Ball, 
who  were  welcomed  with  great  joy  by  a  little  band  of  20 
men  and  women.  In  July,  the  same  year,  an  evangelical 
church  was  formed,  which  in  the  course  of  28  years  had  in- 
creased to  650  members..  Under  the  lead  of  Pastor  Kerovpe 
this  church  was  for  half  a  century  the  chief  means  of  enlight- 
enment in  the  city.  Up  to  1892,  23  missionaries  had  labored  in 
the  Cesarea  station,  of  whom  Rev,  and  Mrs.  Lyman  Bartlett 


196  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

served  17  years,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Fowle  33  years,  and 
Eev.  and  Mrs.  W.  A.  Farnsworth  49  years  (1854-1903). 
Largely  as  the  fruit  of  their  labor  there  were,  in  1909,  in  the 
Cesarea  field,  11  churches  with  1,262  members,  35  other  preach- 
ing places,  78  native  laborers,  and  an  aggregate  attendance  on 
public  worship  of  5,000;  44  schools,  with  1,996  pupils,  and  a 
hospital,  with  several  thousand  indoor  and  outdoor  patients 
yearly.  The  gifts  of  the  people  for  religious,  educational  and 
benevolent  objects  amounted  for  the  year  to  over  $5,000. 
Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  missionaries  had  found  the  Armenians 
the  most  accessible  to  Christian  influences,  but  Greeks  also, 
who  in  this  portion  of  Asia  Minor  speak  the  Turkish  language, 
were  glad  to  listen  to  Gospel  preaching.  ; 

For  many  years  after  the  coming  of  the  missionaries  there 
was  no  American  consul  in  any  interior  city  of  Turkey,  and 
English  consuls  in  Asia  Minor  were  instructed  by  the  Brit- 
ish ambassador  at  Constantinople  to  protect  the  interests  of 
the  missionaries.  When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farnsworth  went  to 
Cesarea  in  1854,  the  consul  who  had  jurisdiction  in  the  region 
opposed  their  going,  saying:  "They  have  no  right  to  go  at 
such  a  time  as  this.  If  they  go  and  the  Turks  cut  their  heads 
off,  I  will  not  interfere."  Trusting  in  God,  however,  the 
missionaries  went,  and  it  proved  to  be  the  very  best  time  to 
occupy  the  place.  Well  could  Dr.  Farnsworth,  in  concluding 
a  review  of  the  work  in  the  Cesarea  station  in  1892,  set  up  his 
Ebenezer,  saying,  "Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us."  Ac- 
cording to  a  careful  itinerary  which  he  kept,  from  1854  to 
1902,  inclusive,  in  his  missionary  work  he  traveled  72,339 
miles,  partly  on  horseback  and  partly  by  wagon.  Dr.  George 
F.  Herrick  has  well  said:  "Dr.  Farnsworth  was  without  a 
peer  as  an  itinerating  missionary.  He  visited  every  outstation 
twice  a  year.  He  had  unmatched  facility  of  intercourse  with 
all  classes  of  men  of  every  race — with  Armenians,  Greeks, 
Turks,  Circassians,  and  Kourds.  It  was  impossible  to  be  other 
than  friendly  with  that  smiling  face,  that  gracious  and  win- 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  FOR  BOYS  197 

ning  manner."  It  is  fitting  to  add  that  in  visiting  the  out- 
stations  and  in  intercourse  with  the  people,  Rev.  J.  L.  Fowle 
was  a  good  second  to  his  father-in-law,  Dr.  Farnsworth. 

The  work  of  the  great  station  of  Cesarea,  covering  a  terri- 
tory of  45,000  square  miles,  demanded  the  establishment  of 
advanced  schools  for  the  training  of  young  men  and  women 
for  teaching  and  for  Christian  work.     Hence,  a  boys  high 
school  and  a  girls  boarding  school  were  early  established  in 
Talas,   five   miles  southeast   of   Cesarea.     For   these   schools 
and  for  a  hospital  a  fine,  elevated  location,  forming  a  mission 
compound,  was  secured,  with  an  abundance  of  space,  of  pure 
water  and  clear  air.     Hither,  in  1893,  came  Rev.  H.  K.  Win- 
gate  and  wife,  to  assume   charge  of  the  boys  high  school, 
after  several  years  in  Anatolia  College,  Marsovan.      Though 
embarrassed  by  inadequate  accommodations  and  scant  finan- 
cial aid,  the  school  in  1898  had  70  pupils,  of  whom  58  were 
Armenians  and  12  were  Greeks.     Through  the  whole  course 
of  study  the  Bible,  English  and  the  native  languages  were 
taught,  with  such  scientific  studies  as  were  of  special  value. 
As  an  aid  to  pupils  unable  to  pay  in  full,  a  factory  for  rugs 
of  a  fine  quality  was  opened.     The  total  charge  for  tuition 
and  board  was  $24.20  yearly.     All  the  work  in  the  school,  save 
washing  clothes,  was  done  by  the  pupils.     During  furloughs  in 
America,  Mr.  Wingate  secured  funds  for  a  new  building  which 
crowns  the  hill,  and  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  plain,  with  its 
many  villages  and  gardens.     "  While  the  school  is  a  regular 
part  of  the  work  of  the  mission,  the  Board  has  never  given  it  a 
cent  for  plant  or  furnishings. ' '    Nearby  is  a  new  building  for 
the  girls  school,  and  in  the  garden  there  is  space  for  a  large 
tent,  which,  at  the  time  of  school  commencements,  accommo- 
dates a  thousand  people.     In  1914  the  total  attendance  in  the 
boys  school  was  163,  the  pupils  coming  from  44  places.     The 
price  for  tuition  and  board  had  been  increased,  and  yet  there 
was  unprecedented  demand  for  admittance.     The  study  of 
English  and  the  high  moral  tone  of  the  school  were  the  great 


198  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

attraction  to  parents  and  students.  It  is  hoped  to  make  the 
school  of  larger  service  to  the  great  Moslem  population  in  the 
vicinity.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  development  of  the  school 
has  demanded  infinite  patience  and  strenuous  effort. 

In  1904  Rev.  and  Mrs.  H.  M.  Irwin  joined  the  Cesarea  sta- 
tion, and  entered  heartily  on  the  work.  In  1905  Mr.  Irwin, 
after  a  12  days  tour,  said:  "If  I  had  ever  been  a  doubter 
as  to  the  need  and  usefulness  of  both  medical  and  educa- 
tional missions,  I  would  have  returned  from  the  Bozouk  region 
a  converted  man.  Wherever  we  found  a  graduate  from  one 
of  our  schools,  we  found  also  a  cleaner  home,  cleaner  persons, 
and  a  face  out  of  which  looked  the  eyes  of  a  soul  awakened. 
Those  who  are  teaching  never  need  think  they  are  not  doing 
one  of  the  best  kinds  of  missionary  work."  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Irwin  soon  started  a  new  enterprise  in  the  form  of  a  boys 
club.  They  began  with  a  Sunday  evening  song  service  for 
boys  and  young  men.  After  two  years  they  added  a  Sunday 
school  in  the  forenoon.  Finally,  in  1908,  by  the  aid  of  an 
American  friend,  they  secured  a  house  with  accommodations 
for  a  gymnasium  and  reading  room,  with  lectures  and  lessons 
in  English.  The  house  was  opened  every  afternoon  and  even- 
ing to  all  comers.  It  has  been  a  great  mixer,  bringing  people 
together  for  amusement  and  instruction  who  would  associate 
in  no  other  place.  In  1909  Mr.  Irwin  wrote:  "We  have  a 
daily  average  of  200  to  300  young  Moslems  with  whom  we  are 
in  constant  touch.  Even  at  our  Sunday  evening  meetings 
there  is  an  average  attendance,  of  200.  Many  of  the  younger 
Turks  are  very  much  in  favor  of  our  work,  and  are  a  constant 
source  of  encouragement  to  us."  To  meet  some  objection  of 
the  government  the  "Club"  was  subsequently  disbanded,  and 
was  reorganized  under  the  name  of  the  American  Benevolent 
Institution. 

THE  SIVAS  NORMAL  SCHOOL 

Sivas,  the  largest  interior  city  of  Asia  Minor,  lies  between 


MES.  PARTRIDGE  AND   CLASS   OF   1902,   SIVAS 
Six  of  these  girls  came  as  orphans. 


CLASS  OF  1911,  ST.  PAUL'S  COLLEGE,  TARSUS 
Group  of  fine  young  men,  they  match   the  girls. 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  FOR  BOYS  199 

Marsovan  and  Harpout,  500  miles  east  of  Constantinople. 
The  population  of  the  city  is  75,000  and  that  of  the  district, 
700,000,  of  whom  the  Christians  number  about  134,000.  In 
1851  Rev.  P.  0.  Powers  organized  in  Sivas  a  church,  which 
has  grown  but  slowly,  and  only  after  many  years  came  to  self- 
support.  Not  many  Armenians  in  Sivas  have  left  the  Gre- 
gorian church  and  joined  the  Protestants,  but  many  have 
come  to  entertain  evangelical  views  and  have  enjoyed  the 
reading  of  the  Bible  and  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  The 
slogan  of  many  Armenians  was:  "Be  Christian,  but  not 
Protestant."  Opposed,  however,  by  the  Armenian  clergy, 
the  religious  zeal  of  such  persons  gradually  dwindled.  From 
the  time  Sivas  became  a  missionary  station  until  now  (1915) 
some  40  missionaries  have  labored  in  the  city  and  province. 
By  reason  of  frequent  change  of  missionaries  and  the  lack  of 
continuity  of  effort,  Sivas  has  been  one  of  the  least  cultivated 
fields  of  the  mission.  Those  who  for  length  of  service  and 
large,  results  have  been  prominent  were  Henry  S.  West,  M.  D. 
and  wife  (17  years),  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Albert  W.  Hubbard  (26 
years),  Rev.  Henry  T.  Perry,  D.  D.  and  wife  (nine  years  in 
the  Central  Mission  and  37  years  in  Sivas),  and  Miss  M.  E. 
Brewer  (14  years).  Dr.  West  became  eminent  as  a  physician 
and  surgeon,  and  will  be  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
medical  service.  The  two  special  features  of  missionary  effort 
have  been  the  Sunday  school  and  the  educational  work.  Mr. 
Hubbard  was  greatly  interested  in  Sunday  school  labor,  with 
special  ability  in  winning  young  people,  in  interesting  them 
in  Bible  study  and  in  teaching  them  to  practice  Bible  prin- 
ciples. Large  numbers  of  people,  of  all  ages,,  attended  the 
Sunday  schools  which  he  supervised.  At  his  funeral  in  1899, 
2,000  people  manifested  their  appreciation  of  his  life  and  ser- 
vice. Mrs.  Hubbard  continued  in  the  work  until  1902  with 
great  devotion  and  self-forgetfulness,  frequently  making  tours 
and  supervising  the  Sunday  and  the  day  schools,  both  in  Sivas 
and  throughout  the  field.  At  length  she  was  obliged  to  re- 


200  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

turn  to  America,  to  guard  and  guide  her  eight  fatherless  chil- 
dren during  their  education. 

Dr.  Perry,  while  active  in  every  form  of  missionary  en- 
deavor, was  specially  devoted  to  education.  From  the  begin- 
ning of  labor  in  Sivas,  attention  was  given  to  the  opening  of 
common  schools.  Ere  long  20  schools  were  established,  with 
700  pupils,  half  of  whom  were  girls.  In  1880  Dr.  Perry 
inaugurated  a  system  of  graded  schools,  which  culminated  in  a 
normal  school.  Boys  were  fitted  for  business,  but  the  special 
object  was  to  prepare  the  most  promising  young  men  to  be 
teachers.  The  same  object  dominated  in  the  girls  school,  for 
in  no  other  way  could  well-trained  teachers  be  secured  for  the 
many  Protestant  and  Gregorian  schools  throughout  the  prov- 
ince. In  1881  the  normal  school  had  20  students,  and  in  1887 
graduated  its  first  class  of  five.  In  1898  the  normal  school 
graduated  10  young  men  and  the  girls  boarding  school  five 
young  women.  There  were  in  the  Sivas  field  at  the  time  19 
common  schools  under  missionary  supervision,  with  1,262 
pupils,  among  whom  were  nearly  300  orphans ;  also  10  Sunday 
schools,  with  1,415  members. 

In  1900  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Ernest  C.  Partridge  were  welcomed 
with  great  joy.  Mr.  Partridge  gave  himself  to  the  acquisition 
of  Armenian,  and  became  principal  of  the  normal  school. 
Though  embarrassed  by  lack  of  room  and  equipment,  the 
school  made  progress  and  won  the  appreciation  of  the  people. 
All  the  Armenian  communities  wished  to  improve  their 
schools,  and  made  application  for  teachers,  but  the  supply 
never  equalled  the  demand.  In  1907  Mr.  Partridge  visited 
America,  and  by  permission  of  the  Board  made  special  appeals 
for  the  school,  and  returned  the  following  year  with  fair 
success.  In  1912  the  school  had  376  students,  of  whom  246 
were  in  the  preparatory  department,  and  12  teachers,  one  of 
whom  was  a  highly  esteemed  graduate  of  Oberlin  College. 
At  this  time  the  school  had  developed  a  musical  department, 
and  six  new  instruments  for  the  orchestra  had  been  given  by 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  FOR  BOYS  201 

the  friend  of  missionaries,  Mr.  Favre.  Dr.  C.  E.  Clark,  of  the 
hospital,  gave  every  boy  in  the  school  a  thorough  physical  ex- 
amination, with  suitable  hygienic  advice.  Up  to  that  time 
75  per  cent  of  the  graduates  had  been  teachers.  The  same 
year  there  were  40  applications  for  teachers,  mostly  from 
Gregorians,  which  the  normal  school  was  unable  to  supply.  In 
view  of  this  fact  Mr.  Partridge  wrote  as  follows:  "It  cer- 
tainly is  a  pity  to  have  to  lose  such  an  opportunity  to  make 
the  influence  of  our  Gospel  felt  in  the  awakening  life  of  the 
old  Church."  In  1912  the  normal  school  was  designated  in 
the  report  of  the  Board  as  the  Sivas  Teachers  College,  the 
first  American  teachers  college  in  Turkey.  In  1914,  after  10 
years  waiting  and  working,  a  new  and  suitable  building  for 
the  Teachers  College  was  completed  on  a  site  of  15  and  a 
half  acres  outside  of  the  city,  with  "room  to  turn  around 
and  pure  air  to  breathe."  The  cost  of  the  new  plant  was 
$22,000,  towards  which  the  alumni  and  other  Armenian 
friends  contributed  $2,000.  A  friend  gave  $2,000  to  help 
complete  a  wall  around  the  compound.  The  new  building 
furnishes  a  study-hall,  rooms  for  recitations  and  accommoda- 
tion for  200  boarders.  The  total  enrolled  in  the  school  in 
1914  was  502,  of  whom  17  were  in  the  college  department, 
133  in  the  high  school,  and  352  in  the  primary  and  inter- 
mediate. New  buildings  within  the  compound  for  the 
girls  boarding  school  and  the  girls  orphanage  were  in  pro- 
cess of  erection.  May  God's  gracious  blessing  rest  upon  the 
four  organized  churches,  the  hospital,  the  orphanages,  and  the 
many  schools  in  the  Sivas  field. 

Alas !  in  1915  the  Armenian  teachers  and  all  the  Armenian 
inhabitants  of  the  city  were  deported,  and  what  has  become 
of  them  is,  up  to  the  present  time,  June,  1916,  unknown. 


CHAPTER  XII 

COLLEGES  FOE  MEN  AND  SKETCHES  OF 
EDUCATORS 

ROBERT  COLLEGE 

IN  the  development  of  an  educational  system  the  natural 
outcome  of  the  high  school  was  the  college.  When  Mr. 
Christopher  R.  Robert,  a  successful  merchant  of  New  York, 
visited  Constantinople  in  1856  there  was  no  college  in  the 
Empire.  There  were  wealthy  men  among  the  Greeks,  Armen- 
ians, and  Turks,  but  no  appreciation  of  the  value  of  education 
beyond  that  of  a  common  school,  and  no  combination  among 
ecclesiastics  or  leading  men  of  any  community  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  high  class  institution  of  learning. 

The  sons  of  our  esteemed  missionary,  Dr.  H.  G.  0.  Dwight, 
students  in  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York,  first  sug- 
gested to  Mr.  Robert  the  idea  of  founding  a  Christian  col- 
lege in  Constantinople.  Pleased  with  the  idea,  Mr.  Robert 
was  ready  to  give  money  to  start  the  college,  and  in  1858 
asked  Dr.  Hamlin  to  undertake  the  work.  After  much  de- 
liberation Dr.  Hamlin  accepted.  There  were  many  persons 
who  predicted  the  failure  of  the  undertaking.  In  the  long 
period  of  Turkish  rule  Greeks,  Armenians,  Bulgarians  and 
Catholics  had  never  united  with  one  another  or  with  the  Turks 
to  promote  any  common  civil  or  educational  enterprise,  and  it 
was  said  that  young  men  of  the  different  nationalities  would 
never  associate  together  in  the  same  institution.  To  all  ob- 
jections Dr.  Hamlin  answered,  as  he  had  done  on  the  opening 
of  Bebek  Seminary:  "Let  me  fail  trying  to  do  something 

202 


CYRUS    HAMLIN 


GEORGE     F.     HERRICK 


EDWARD    RIGGS 


MRS.    J.    K.   GREENE  GEORGE    WASHBURN  MARY    MILLS    PATRICK 


ROBERT    CHAMBERS 


C.    C.    TRACY 
EDUCATORS,  WESTERN  TURKEY  MISSION 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  203 

rather  than  to  sit  still  and  do  nothing. ' '  How  a  site  for  the 
college  was  at  length  secured  on  the  lofty  bank  of  the  Bos- 
phorus,  seven  miles  above  the  city — a  site  unequalled  for 
beauty  in  all  the  world;  how  the  permit  to  begin  work  was 
delayed  for  seven  years  through  the  opposition  of  the  Russian 
and  French  ambassadors ;  and  how,  finally,  in  1868,  by  means 
of  a  significant  inquiry  addressed  to  the  Turkish  ministers 
by  Admiral  Farragut,  then  on  a  visit  to  Constantinople  in 
his  flagship,  the  Hartford,  an  imperial  charter  was  given  to 
the  institution  as  an  American  college  under  the  protection 
of  the  United  States;  how  the  first  of  the  seven  magnificent 
buildings  was  erected ;  how  the  college  grew  under  the  admin- 
istration of  Dr.  Hamlin  until  1873,  and  under  the  administra- 
tion of  Dr.  George  Washburn  until  1903 — all  this  fascinating 
story  is  told  in  the  books  of  Dr.  Hamlin,  entitled  "My  Life 
and  Times"  and  "Among  the  Turks,"  and  in  the  book  of 
Dr.  George  Washburn,  entitled  "Fifty  Years  in  Constanti- 
nople. ' ' 

From  the  beginning  the  college  was  embarrassed  by  annual 
deficits,  which  were  paid  by  Mr.  Eobert  until  his  death  in 
1878.  He  was  its  one  main  support,  and  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  he  gave  the  college  $400,000,  and,  what  was  better, 
he  gave  the  wisdom  of  his  counsel  and  his  prayers.  After 
Mr.  Robert's  death  the  financial  burden  fell  upon  the  faculty, 
but  by  reason  of  the  indefatigable  efforts  of  Dr.  Washburn, 
by  reason  of  the  college's  location  which  constantly  attracted 
the  attention  of  tourists  and  strangers,  and,  best  of  all,  by 
reason  of  the  character  and  influence  of  its  graduates,  espec- 
ially of  those  Bulgarians  who  had  a  commanding  influence  in 
the  new  Bulgarian  state,  the  college  secured  friends,  who 
helped  both  to  meet  deficits  and  erect  new  buildings.  After 
Mr.  Robert,  the  greatest  benefactor  was  Mr.  John  S.  Kennedy 
of  New  York,  who  gave  the  money  to  build  a  residence  for 
the  president  and  by  his  will  in  1909  left  to  the  college  more 
than  $1,500,000.  At  that  time  the  property  of  the  college 


204  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

was  valued  at  $392,629,  and  the  invested  funds  amounted 
to  $402,782.  By  decision  of  the  trustees  of  the  college  five- 
sixths  of  Mr.  Kennedy's  bequest  was  added  to  the  endow- 
ment and  one-sixth  was  devoted  to  the  purchase  of  land  and 
the  erection  of  new  buildings. 

Eobert  College  has  been  greatly  blessed  in  the  character 
of  its  three  presidents — Dr.  Hamlin,  Dr.  Washburn  and  Dr. 
C.  F.  Gates — all  of  whom  were  for  years  missionaries  of  the 
American  Board,  and  in  its  professors  and  teachers,  among 
whom  Professor  Albert  L.  Long  and  Professor  Alexander  van 
Millingen  were  preeminent  both  for  Christian  character  and 
scholarship.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Wash- 
burn  2,500  young  men  had  been  educated  in  the  college  and 
435  had  graduated  with  honor.  In  1913  the  students  from  10 
nationalities  numbered  544,  and  the  receipts  for  tuition  and 
board  were  about  $100,000.  The  curriculum  of  study  has 
followed  the  lines  of  American  colleges,  while  great  attention 
has  been  given  to  European  languages  and  to  the  vernacular 
languages  of  Turkey,  and  latterly  commercial  and  engineer- 
ing branches  have  been  added.  The  language  of  the  college 
from  the  outset  has  been  English.  There  has  been  no  at- 
tempt to  proselyte,  but  by  means  of  daily  prayers,  Bible 
study  and  Sabbath  services,  and  especially  through  the  Chris- 
tian life  and  character  of  the  teachers,  evangelical  religion 
has  been  explained  and  commended  to  all  Christian,  Jewish, 
and  Mohammedan  students.  The  aim  has  always  been  to 
teach  the  true  principles  of  morality  and  the  value  and  nec- 
essity of  a  spiritual  life.  As  a  large  majority  of  the  students 
lias  come  from  non-Protestant  families,  some  of  the  students 
have  complained  that  they  were  obliged  to  attend  daily 
prayers  and  Sabbath  services,  but  the  college  authorities  have 
always  stood  firm  in  the  position  that  the  college  was  founded 
as  a  Christian  institution  and  that  its  character  as  such  would 
be  maintained  to  the  end  of  time. 

Many  and  appropriate  appreciations  of  the  life  and  char- 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  205 

acter  of  Dr.  Washburn  have  appeared  in  the  American  press, 
but  the  most  fitting  testimonials  were  given  by  three  native 
professors  and  the  president  of  the  college  at  a  memorial  ser- 
vice'held  in  Robert  College  chapel  on  March  21,  1915. 

Dr.  Washburn  was  born  in  Middleboro,  Massachusetts, 
March  1,  1833,  and  died  in  Boston,  February  15,  1915.  For  10 
years  he  was  a  missionary  of  the  American  Board,  and  for  25 
years  the  president  of  Robert  College.  In  anticipation  of  his 
resignation  in  1903,  when  he  should  have  reached  the  70th 
milestone  of  life,  he  passed  in  mental  review  all  available 
candidates  for  a  successor,  and  finally  proposed  to  Dr.  C.  F. 
Gates,  president  of  Euphrates  College  at  Harpout,  to  accept 
the  presidency  of  the  college.  Dr.  Gates  was  reluctant  to 
take  upon  himself  this  responsible  position,  and  Dr.  Wash- 
burn  concluded  the  correspondence  with  the  remark:  "I 
will  leave  with  you  only  one  point  to  think  over:  This  col- 
lege must  not  lose  its  religious,  its  Christian,  character.  How 
can  a  new  man  coming  out  from  America,  without  knowl- 
edge of  the  country,  hold  it  true  to  its  original  aim?"  All 
honor  to  the  man  who  with  this  weighty  argument  concluded 
his  plea,  and  all  honor  to  the  man  who  was  finally  moved  by 
the  above  remark  to  accept  the  presidency. 

At  the  memorial  service  held  in  Constantinople  the  first 
speaker  was  Professor  Hagopos  Jejizian,  a  member  of  the 
first  class  which  graduated  from  the  college,  and  who  taught 
during  the  whole  of  Dr.  Washburn 's  administration.  From 
America,  said  the  speaker,  have  come  the  men  who  have  re- 
newed the  youth  and  life  of  the  old  and  decadent  peoples  of 
this  land.  Such  men  were  Mr.  Robert,  Dr.  Hamlin  and  Dr. 
Washburn.  God  be  praised  for  these  men.  The  best  thing 
about  Dr.  Washburn  was  that  he  did  not  seek  his  own,  but 
saw  the  possibilities  of  these  fallen  peoples  and  had  faith  in 
them.  He  believed  these  races  could  be  educated,  and  he 
quietly  went  on  towards  his  ideal.  Dr.  Washburn  was  confi- 
dent of  success.  He  often  said  to  me:  "This  college  is 


206  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

founded  on  prayer  and  on  this  foundation  it  is  sure  to  suc- 
ceed.'7 

The  second  speaker  was  Professor  Eliou,  a  Greek,  whose 
words  were  substantially  as  follows:  Those  who  knew  Dr. 
Washburn  best,  remember  him  as  an  able  teacher,  an  admir- 
able president,  a  genuine  friend,  a  large  mind,  a  beautiful 
heart,  but,  above  all,  a  genuine  Christian.  He  was  a  religious 
man,  living  his  religion.  His  family  life  was  the  fruit  of 
his  religious  belief,  and  was  a  rich  and  inexhaustible  source 
of  religious  experience.  He  found  in  his  own  soul  and  in  that 
of  people  around  him,  especially  in  that  of  Mrs.  Washburn, 
rich  realities  of  which  he  could  not  doubt,  and  on  these  in- 
tellectual, esthetic,  moral  and  religious  realities  he  built  his 
belief  in  Him  who  came  to  be  to  us  the  great  exemplar  of 
those  qualities,  the  great  Master  and  Initiator  in  the  mys- 
tery of  loving  service  of  man  to  man.  Dr.  Washburn  was 
able  to  see  and  to  recognize  every  good  quality  and  every 
possibility  existing  in  the  communities  of  this  country  and  in 
individuals  belonging  to  these  communities.  He  was  not 
blind  to  the  weak  points  in  the  life  of  the  Eastern  Churches, 
but  he  was  convinced  that  good  example  set  to  them  in  kind- 
ness, fairness,  love  and  humility  will  go  much  further  in 
helping  them  to  improve  than  unkind  attacks. 

The  third  speaker  was  Professor  Der  Hagopian,  who  said, 
in  substance:  Dr.  Washburn  was  in  the  prime  of  life  when 
I  first  saw  him.  His  imposing  figure,  his  keen,  brilliant  look, 
his  grave  dignity,  his  winsome  manners,  his  gracious  smile 
made  a  profound  and  lasting  impression.  He  was  certainly  a 
wonderful  teacher.  Whatever  the  subject  he  undertook  to 
teach — Mental  Philosophy,  Moral  Philosophy,  Political  Econ- 
omy, Commercial  Law,  Bookkeeping  or  English — he  handled 
it  all  with  singular  ability.  He  had  the  gift  of  making 
everything  clear,  interesting,  impressive.  He  was  exacting, 
but  not  more  for  others  than  for  himself.  He  was  very  strict 
in  discipline,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  resort  to  severest  meas- 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES        207 

ures  when  the  general  good  order  or  the  reformation  of  the 
individual  required  it.  But  he  did  it  all  with  a  heart  over- 
flowing with  sympathy;  everybody  knew  that  he  did  it  in 
love,  not  in  anger.  Dr.  Washburn  was  a  most  impressive 
public  speaker.  He  preached  often,  and  he  gave  a  Bible 
lesson  to  the  whole  school  every  Sunday  afternoon.  Every 
one  of  his  sermons  was  clear,  practical,  emphatic,  spiritual 
through  and  through,  without  a  shadow  of  sectarianism,  hav- 
ing always  in  view  the  essence,  the  spirit,  not  the  form  or 
the  letter.  Every  winter  we  had  a  course  of  public  lectures, 
and  Dr.  Washburn  was  invariably  the  one  to  open  the  course. 
His  lectures  were  great  events  in  the  college.  His  subjects 
were  philosophical,  social,  political.  Dr.  Washburn  was  a 
progressive,  a  modern  man  all  his  life  long.  He  followed 
with  lively,  youthful,  unfailing  interest  all  that  was  going  on 
in  all  departments  of  thought,  religious,  philosophical,  lit- 
erary, educational,  social.  One  casual  remark  gives  us  a  look 
into  the  sanctuary  of  Dr.  Washburn 's  inner  life.  One  even- 
ing in  a  teachers'  gathering  in  Mrs.  Washburn 's  parlor  the 
conversation  turned  on  the  nature  of  the  fear  of  death.  Dr. 
Washburn  did  not  take  part  in  the  conversation.  Mrs. 
Washburn  turned  to  him  and  asked  his  opinion  on  the  ques- 
tion. "I  have  no  opinion,  dear,"  he  replied,  "I  do  not  know 
what  the  fear  of  death  is.  I  have  never  experienced  it. ' ' 

President  Gates  spoke  on  the  words:  "The  path  of  the 
righteous  is  as  a  dawning  light  that  shineth  more  and  more 
unto  the  perfect  day."  The  righteous  man  is  the  man  who 
is  right  with  God  and  his  fellowmen;  he  is  the  man  who 
makes  right  choices — the  choices  which  God  indicates.  Dr. 
Washburn  was  that  kind  of  a  man.  His  life  shows  that  he 
was  not  seeking  his  own  selfish  interests,  but  was  trying  to  do 
what  God  would  have  him  do,  and  hence  God  ordered  his  life. 
Success  and  honors  came  to  him.  He  was  full  of  accurate 
information,  which  made  him  sought  out  for  expositions  of 
the  national  questions  of  Europe  and  the  East.  He  became 


208  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

the  means  of  conferring  great  blessings  upon  whole  peoples. 
His  influence  entered  into  the  lives  of  hundreds  of  men  who 
have  gone  out  from  the  college,  and  he  gained  the  esteem 
and  love  of  many  who  had  never  been  his  pupils.  This  was 
the  shining  of  the  path.  "An  honored  life,  a  peaceful  end, 
and  heaven  to  crown  it  all ! " 

The  writer  expresses  thanks  to  the  "Orient"  of  March 
24,  1915  for  the  account  of  the  memorial  service  in  Constan- 
tinople. 

CENTRAL  TURKEY  COLLEGE 

The  memory  of  a  beloved  missionary  is  enshrined  in  each 
one  of  the  American  colleges  in  Turkey,  and  the  success  of 
each  has  been  largely  due  to  the  zeal  and  wisdom  of  the  in- 
dividual. The  officers  of  the  American  Board,  reversing  an 
earlier  policy  in  opposition  to  higher  education  through  mis- 
sionary agency,  favored  the  establishment  of  colleges  and  in 
each  case  paid  the  salary  of  the  president,  and,  since  the 
Board  itself  could  not  undertake  to  endow  colleges  from  its 
regular  receipts,  it  allowed  each  college  president  to  make 
special  solicitations  for  funds.  The  officers  of  the  Board 
clearly  understood  that  throughout  Turkey  there  was  an  ur- 
gent demand  for  higher  education,  that  the  college  was  the 
legitimate  crown  of  any  system  of  education,  that  no  church 
could  achieve  success  as  an  aggressive  Christian  force  with- 
out leadership,  and  that  this  leadership  must  come  not  only 
from  educated  pastors  and  preachers  but  also  from  educated 
men  and  women  of  the  community.  It  was  not  only  educa- 
tion, but  emphatically  a  Christian  education  which  the  peo- 
ple of  Turkey  needed.  To  give  such  an  education  was  surely 
the  object  of  Mr.  Robert  in  founding  Eobert  College;  such 
was  the  object  of  the  Woman's  Board  in  establishing  the 
Home  School  for  Girls  which  has  developed  into  Constanti- 
nople College,  and  such  was  the  aim  both  of  the  missionaries 
in  advocating,  and  of  the  Board  in  sanctioning,  the  establish- 


C.    D.    CHRISTIE 
T.  C.  TROWBRIDGE  AMERICUS    FULLER 


¥-  - 


MRS.     J.     L.     COFFING  CORINNA    SHATTUCK  CORA    M.    WELPTON 


D.     M.     B.     THOM 


L.    O.    LEE 


F.    D.    SHEPHARD,    M.    D. 
CENTRAL   TURKEY   MISSION 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  209 

inent  of  colleges  in  the  interior  of  Turkey.  All  sound  educa- 
tion must  lead  up  to  a  knowledge  of  God  and  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  alone  could  say,  '  *  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth, 
and  the  Life."  The  splendid  result  is  that  the  missionaries 
have  won  the  leadership  in  higher  education  in  Turkey,  with 
the  exception  of  certain  professional  schools  established  in 
recent  years  by  the  government. 

The  first  missionary  to  enter  on  this  work  of  higher  educa- 
tion in  Asia  Minor  was  Eev.  Tillman  C.  Trowbridge.  Born 
of  sturdy  farmer  folk  in  Michigan  in  1831,  he  was  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Michigan  and  from  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  and  reached  Constantinople  in  1856.  In  1861  he 
married  Miss  Margaret  Eiggs,  daughter  of  Dr.  Elias  Riggs, 
and  in  her  he  found  an  invaluable  helper.  Through  knowl- 
edge of  the  Turkish  language  he  reached  all  classes,  and  by 
his  cordial  manners  and  sympathy  he  won  their  esteem.  Dur- 
ing 12  years  of  earnest  labor  in  Constantinople,  Erzroum,  and 
elsewhere  and  by  extensive  tours  in  both  Western  and  East- 
ern Turkey,  he  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  coun- 
try. In  1868  he  was  invited  to  give  instruction  in  the  theo- 
logical seminary  at  Marash.  In  1872  there  were  in  the  Cen- 
tral Turkey  Mission  23  churches  and  1,868  members ;  38  com- 
mon schools  with  39  teachers  and  1,522  pupils ;  one  high  school 
for  boys  with  some  50  pupils,  two  boarding  schools  for  girls 
with  93  pupils,  and  one  theological  seminary  with  28  students. 
For  several  years  the  call  of  both  pastors  and  people  for 
greater  facilities  for  educating  young  men  both  for  the  min- 
istry and  professional  life  had  grown  louder  and  louder.  In 
1871,  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  from  Dr.  Clark,  secretary  of 
the  Board,  the  plan  of  establishing  a  college  was  settled,  and 
on  the  recommendation  of  Dr.  Clark  was  approved  by  the 
Prudential  Committee.  It  was  agreed  that  the  college  should 
be  located  at  Aintab,  600  miles  southeast  of  Constantinople. 
A  fine,  site  for  the  college,  on  a  hill  half  a  mile  from  the  city, 
was  given  by  a  friendly  Turk,  and  over  $7,000  were  given 


210  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

by  the  Protestant  churches  of  Aintab.  Other  considerable 
sums  were  given  by  other  churches,  which  out  of  distressing 
poverty  were  endeavoring  to  support  their  pastors  and  schools. 
In  view  of  the  urgent  need  of  a  college  and  at  the  request  of 
both  missionaries  and  natives,  Mr.  Trowbridge  withdrew  from 
the  theological  seminary  and  entered  on  the  work  of  soliciting 
funds  both  in  England  and  America.  He  met  with  gratify- 
ing success ;  the  first  class  was  formed  in  1876 ;  the  first  build- 
ing was  occupied  in  1878,  and  this  building,  partially  burned 
in  1890,  was  rebuilt  and  enlarged.  The  college  received  a 
charter  from  Massachusetts  in  1874,  and  a  formal  authoriza- 
tion from  the  Turkish  government  in  1878.  Up  to  the  pres- 
ent time  (1915)  the  control  of  the  college  and  the  care  of 
the  funds  given  by  native  friends  have  been  in  the  hands  of 
a  local  board  of  eight  managers,  two  of  whom  have  been 
chosen  yearly  by  the  Cilicia  Union,  and  the  care  of  funds 
given  by  foreign  friends  has  been  in  the  hands  of  a  board  of 
eight  trustees,  appointed  in  the  first  instance  by  the  Pruden- 
tial Committee  of  the  Board.  From  the  beginning  the  teach- 
ing staff  has  consisted  very  largely  of  native  professors,  sev- 
eral of  whom  have  studied  in  Europe  and  America.  Accord- 
ing to  the  original  agreement,  in  case  the  college  in  its  man- 
agement and  teaching  gives  satisfaction  to  the  Prudential 
Committee,  after  50  years  from  January  first,  1875,  the  en- 
tire control  and  management  of  the  college  will  be  vested  in 
the  local  board  of  managers,  to  consist  of  16  members.  This 
seems  an  ideal  method  of  evolution,  and  places  the  college 
ere  long  entirely  in  native  hands. 

For  four  years  Dr.  Trowbridge  labored  indefatigably  and 
successfully  to  secure  funds.  In  1876  he  was  appointed 
president.  His  untimely  death  in  1888,  in  the  prime  of  life, 
was  a  grievous  loss.  He  had  given  the  best  years  of  his  life  to 
promote  its  interests,  had  endeared  himself  to  both  teachers 
and  students,  and  had  seen  the  college  established  on  a  firm 
foundation.  He  had  occasion  to  rejoice  that  some  hundreds 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  211 

of  the  alumni  were  devoted  to  the  college,  and  as  pastors, 
preachers,  teachers,  professional  and  business  men  were  every- 
where esteemed.  Indeed,  the  college  had  become  the  pride 
and  joy  of  the  Central  Turkey  Mission,  and  had  greatly  pro- 
moted the  material,  moral,  intellectual  and  spiritual  interests 
of  all  the  Christian  people.  It  had  also  won  the  respect  of 
the  authorities,  who  were  glad  to  attend  the  yearly  public 
exercises,  and  had  led  many  Turks  to  long  for  the  time  when 
they  too  might  be  at  liberty  to  send  their  sons  to  the  college. 
Another  beloved  missionary,  Dr.  Americus  Fuller,  became 
president  of  the  college  in  1889,  and  after  16  years  of  wise 
and  successful  administration  resigned  on  account  if  im- 
paired health.  In  1905  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present 
incumbent,  Rev.  John  E.  Merrill,  Ph.D.  From  the  first  the 
college,  by  reason  of  the  ability  and  zeal  of  its  three  devoted 
presidents,  by  reason  of  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the  pro- 
fessors and  alumni,  and  by  reason  of  the  cordial  support  of 
both  the  Protestant  and  the  Gregorian  communities,  has  made 
a  steady  and  substantial  progress.  In  1913  the  students  in 
the  preparatory  and  the  college  departments  numbered  232. 
Administered  with  great  economy  and  aided  by  the  gifts  of 
the  people,  the  college  has  to  a  large  extent  met  its  own  ex- 
penses, and  has  increased  both  its  plant  and  its  endowment, 
until  now  together  they  amount  to  some  $150,000.  This  sum 
includes  a  recent  bequest  of  $15,000  left  by  Mr.  Sarkis  Tel- 
feyan,  a  Protestant  Armenian  merchant  of  New  York. 

ANATOLIA  COLLEGE 

It  is  a  happy  circumstance  that  nearly  all  the  missionary 
high  schools,  colleges  and  seminaries  in  Turkey  are  outside  the 
cities.  From  time  immemorial  the  people,  by  reason  of  fear, 
have  huddled  together  in  the  cities,  leaving  elevations  nearby 
where  there  is  abundance  of  room,  good  water  and  pure  air. 
The  missionaries  have  purchased  those  vantage  points  at  rea- 


212  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

sonable  rates  and  have  formed  compounds,  where  the  school 
buildings  and  missionary  homes  command  beautiful  views  of 
the  plains  in  front,  with  surrounding  mountains.  Such  a 
position  is  the  site  of  Anatolia  College,  located  at  Marsovan,  a 
city  of  30,000  people,  situated  350  miles  east  of  Constanti- 
nople and  65  miles  inland  from  the  port  of  Samsoun  on  the 
Black  Sea.  The  site  is  2,500  feet  above  sea  level.  Marsovan 
is  the  principal  city  of  a  rich  province,  and  the  special  field 
from  which  the  college  draws  students  comprises  some  80,000 
square  miles.  From  beyond  these  bounds  students  have  come 
from  Russia,  Persia,  Egypt,  Greece,  and  the  Balkan  peninsula. 
In  1851  Rev.  P.  O.  Powers,  the  first  missionary  to  visit  Mar- 
sovan, spent  five  days  in  the  place,  and  there,  to  his  surprise, 
found  two  Protestant  Armenians,  one  of  whom  while  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem  20  years  before  had  purchased  at 
Beirut  some  religious  tracts,  which  had  been  printed  at  Malta 
during  the  stay  of  Dr.  Goodell  and  other  missionaries  of  the 
Board  on  that  island.  In  1852,  by  order  from  Constanti- 
nople, nine  evangelical  families  in  Marsovan  were  recognized 
by  the  local  authorities  as  a  separate  Protestant  community. 
Through  false  accusation,  deprivation  of  business  and  im- 
prisonment the  brethren  had  been  subjected  to  much  hard- 
ship and  loss,  but  were  brave  and  patient,  and  in  1853,  10 
Armenian  Protestants  were  organized  as  a  church  by  Rev. 
Edwin  E.  Bliss.  In  1860  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  Y.  Leonard  set- 
tled in  Marsovan,  and  found  within  the  territory  of  that  sta- 
tion a  population  of  more  than  250,000,  of  whom  some  50,000 
were  Armenians,  more  than  100,000  Greeks,  and  the  re- 
mainder Turks.  In  1861  the  Protestants  had  increased  to 
235  and  the  church  members  to  18.  In  1863  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
E.  M.  Dodd  and  Rev.  and  Mrs.  John  F.  Smith  joined  the 
station.  In  1865  the  girls  boarding  school,  under  the  care  of 
Miss  Eliza  Fritcher,  numbered  35  pupils.  In  1867  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  C.  Tracy  were  stationed  at  Marsovan,  and 
in  a  characteristic  letter  giving  his  first  impressions  Mr. 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  213 

Tracy  says:  "We  have  only  begun  to  compass  Jericho  and 
blow  with  the  trumpets,  and  we  ought  not  to  give  up  in  dis- 
couragement because  the  walls  do  not  begin  to  crack  at  the 
first  blast.  But  if  people  ask  for  results  we  can  give  them. 
Protestants  are  more  trusted  and  respected  than  anybody 
else;  once  they  were  stoned  and  spit  upon.  The  pasha  now 
rises  up  when  the  missionary  visits  him,  and  shows  him  great 
deference ;  once  he  treated  him  as  a  dog.  Armenians  have  to 
reform  their  creeds  to  keep  up  with  the  spirit  of  the  times. 
A  born  Mohammedan  may  profess  Christianity  in  the  capital 
and  not  lose  his  head.  These  are  results.  We  are  satisfied." 
In  1865  a  theological  class  of  10  students,  and  in  1867  a 
second  class  of  16  students,  were  formed.  Dr.  I.  F.  Petti- 
bone,  present  at  the  examination  of  the  students  of  the  theolog- 
ical school  in  1867,  wrote  as  follows:  "I  do  not  believe 
there  is  a  class  of  men  in  any  school  in  America  that  would 
pass  so  good  an  examination  in  the  chronological  and  his- 
torical portions  of  the  New  Testament  as  the  first  class  in 
Marsovan."  Besides  their  studies  in  the  academical  depart- 
ment, the  theological  students  received  instruction  in  Moral 
Science,  Evidences  of  Christianity,  Butler's  Analogy,  Natural 
and  Systematic  Theology,  and  Biblical  Exegesis.  At  that 
time  the  congregation  numbered  over  300,  and  several  mem- 
bers of  the  church  were  devoting  a  tenth  of  their  earnings  to 
the  work  of  the  Lord.  In  September,  1870,  a  new  church  was 
dedicated  in  the  presence  of  1,200  people.  For  this  church 
the  Protestants  had  given,  besides  their  work,  nearly  $1,000. 
Marsovan  affords  a  fine  illustration  of  the  development  of 
a  missionary  college.  Says  Dr.  C.  C.  Tracy:  "From  most 
humble  beginnings  the  community  schools  had  developed  till, 
in  1875,  there  were  nearly  300  pupils.  Following  an  effort  at 
a  high  school  in  1863,  the  community  school  held  grade  con- 
siderably above  the  common  schools  of  the  time.  After  the 
purchase  of  the  present  station  premises  and  the  erection  of  a 
building  for  theological  students,  the  missionaries  undertook 


214  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

to  carry  on,  simply  for  the  mission  supply  of  teachers  and 
preachers,  a  theological  seminary  and  high  school  combined. 
The  work  continued  on  this  basis  until  1881-82.  Up  to  that 
time  the  institution  had  been  carried  on  at  the  expense  of  the 
American  Board.  The  idea  of  a  new  departure  was  dawning 
upon  the  minds  of  the  Marsovan  missionaries.  They  per- 
ceived the  need  of  a  broader  system  of  education,  in  the  prose- 
cution of  which  the  people  should  more  fully  share.  They 
felt  that  those  looking  to  evangelical  work  should  be  tested 
first  in  a  course  of  education  at  their  own  expense.  The  pres- 
sure of  this  idea  upon  their  minds  increased  till  finally  one 
of  their  number,  Mr.  Tracy,  was  asked  to  start  a  high  school, 
in  which  students  should  meet  the  expense  of  their  board, 
and  also  pay  a  tuition  fee.  There  were  some  in  the  mission 
who  thought  this  attempt  visionary  and  destined  to  fail,  but 
Mr.  Tracy  started  the  school  with  four  boys,  in  a  low  base- 
ment room  where  one  could  stand  on  the  floor  and  lay  his  flat 
hand  on  the  ceiling.  Within  a  year  the  number  of  students 
was  30,  and  in  three  years  had  risen  to  120,  and,  having  re- 
moved to  larger  and  larger  rooms,  at  last  entered  a  new 
hall  specially  built  for  it.  It  was  growing  clear  that  the 
school  must  take  on  the  collegiate  character  and  be  the  lead- 
ing educational  influence  in  a  wide  field  not  occupied  by  any 
such  institution.  It  was  thought  very  desirable  that  the  new 
college  be  organized  on  the  cooperative  plan,  the  native 
friends  contributing,  and  sharing  in  the  administration. 
This  was  attempted,  but  failed  after  a  few  years,  on  account 
of  the  very  perilous  political  conditions  threatening  destruc- 
tion to  any  such  enterprise  in  the  hands  of  Christian  subjects. 
The  native  contribution,  also,  had  failed,  and  there  appeared 
no  way  but  for  the  Americans  to  take  over  the  whole  enter- 
prise and  proceed  on  an  independent  basis,  which  was  done. 
In  view  of  the  fact  that  Western  Asia  Minor  had,  from  of 
old,  been  called  Anatolia,  and  that  the  institution  was  ex- 
pected to  minister  to  the  needs  of  the  same  region,  Dr.  G.  F. 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  215 

Herrick  proposed  that  it  be  named  Anatolia  College,  which 
name  was  adopted.  Dr.  Edward  Riggs  suggested  as  the  col- 
lege motto  the  old  prophetic  utterance,  "The  morning 
cometh,"  which  fits  well  with  the  name  Anatolia,  signifying 
dayspring. 

In  September,  1886,  a  charter  was  obtained  from  Massa- 
chusetts, and,  after  years  of  patient  waiting,  in  1899  the 
Turkish  government  finally  recognized  the  college  by  imperial 
firman.  From  the  time  of  their  arrival  in  1867,  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Tracy  devoted  themselves,  heart,  mind  and  soul,  to  the 
work  of  education,  and  for  26  years  Dr.  Tracy  served  as 
president  with  rare  ability,  consummate  tact  and  full  devo- 
tion. 

Under  Dr.  Tracy's  administration  the  college  has  been  a 
financial  success.  The  first  year  the  number  of  pupils  in  the 
preparatory  and  regular  classes  was  130,  of  whom  27  were 
Greeks  and  the  remainder  Armenians.  From  the  pupils  there 
was  received,  the  first  year,  for  board  and  tuition,  nearly 
$4,000.  Though  straitened  by  lack  of  means  the  college  has 
ever  striven  to  make  both  ends  meet,  through  strictest  econ- 
omy and  the  self-sacrifice  of  the  president  and  teachers. 
From  the  beginning  about  two-thirds  of  the  running  expenses 
have  been  met  by  receipts  from  the  students  and  by  gifts  from 
native  friends.  By  the  liberal  donations  of  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Pearsons,  of  Chicago,  of  Mr.  Kennedy,  of  New  York,  and  of 
other  friends  an  endowment  of  over  $100,000  has  been  accu- 
mulated, and  another  $100,000  secured  for  the  purchase  of 
land  and  erection  of  buildings,  for  lecture  rooms  and  dormi- 
tories, for  the  library  and  museum,  for  the  boys*  home,  for 
the  girls'  school,  for  the  school  for  the  deaf  and  dumb,  and 
for  the  hospital  and  dispensary.  An  artesian  well  has  been 
sunk,  and  chemical  and  astronomical  apparatus  has  been  pur- 
chased. Native  friends,  mostly  former  students,  contributed 
$5,000  towards  the  library  building.  Mr.  Telfeyan  left  by  will 
$10,000,  the  income  of  which  is  to  aid  needy  Armenian  stu- 


216  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

dents.  There  has  also  been  given  by  native  and  foreign 
friends  a  considerable  sum  towards  the  $10,000  needed  for  a 
separate  building  for  the  theological  seminary.  Like  a  grow- 
ing child,  the  college  has  many  other  wants,  and  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  of  humanity  no  wiser  in- 
vestment could  be  made  than  a  gift  to  this  college. 

Years  ago  the  president  and  faculty  were  impressed  by  the 
fact  that  there  were  many  promising  young  men  whose  par- 
ents were  too  poor  to  aid  them,  and  who,  while  pursuing  their 
studies,  could  find  no  remunerative  work.  Hence  arose  the 
necessity  of  establishing,  as  had  been  done  by  various  other 
schools,  a  self-help  department,  which  in  Marsovan  included 
a  furniture  shop,  a  book  bindery,  shoemaking,  and  tailoring. 
For  20  years  many  students,  by  working  from  one  to  three 
hours  a  day,  have  learned,  each,  a  useful  trade,  and  have  been 
able  to  meet  from  one-tenth  to  one-half  of  their  expenses. 
Through  the  generosity  of  two  American  ladies  the  college  is 
also  in  possession  of  a  mill  for  grinding  wheat,  which  brings  a 
yearly  profit  of  $500. 

Again,  the  college  has  been  an  educational  success.  From 
the  beginning  it  has  been  highly  favored  in  its  native  profes- 
sors, all  of  whom  have  had  special  training  abroad,  and  are 
men  of  good  ability,  of  high  moral  and  religious  character 
and  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  institution.  At  two  periods 
the  college  has  also  been  favored  in  securing  Dr.  George  F. 
Herrick  as  teacher  and,  for  more  than  two  years,  as  president. 
In  1913-14  the  teaching  force  consisted  of  eight  Armenians, 
nine  Greeks,  one  Swiss,  one  Russian,  and  six  Americans.  The 
students  numbered  405,  of  whom  194  were  Greeks,  157  were 
Armenians,  32  were  Russians,  and  16  were  Turks.  In  all, 
nine  nationalities  and  five  religious  confessions  were  repre- 
sented. The  courses  of  study  have  followed  the  usual  curric- 
ulum of  American  colleges,  save  that  greater  attention  has 
been  given  to  languages,  both  vernacular  and  European.  As 
in  all  like  institutions  in  Turkey,  English  has1,  been  the 


5s  I 

CO 

i 

H 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  217 

language  of  the  college.  Under  the  instruction  of  Professor 
Daghlian,  who  had  a  thorough  preparation  in  Stuttgart,  a 
trained  choir  of  some  70  members,  an  orchestra  with  about 
30  pieces  and  several  glee  clubs  have  been  formed.  Thus  the 
college  has  taken  a  leading  position  in  music  among  the  insti- 
tutions of  the  country. 

The  following  statement  indicates  the  impression  made  by 
the  college  on  one  who  is  both  a  great  friend  of  education  and 
an  impartial  critic.  Among  the  guests  attending  the  college 
commencement  of  June,  1914,  was  Sir  Edwin  Pears,  a  dis- 
tinguished author  and  for  40  years  the  leading  English  law- 
yer in  Turkey.  In  a  letter  written  after  his  return  to  Con- 
stantinople to  the  president  of  the  college,  Sir  Edwin  says: 
"It  was  a  genuine  and  delightful  surprise  to  me  to  see  the 
magnificent  work  that  you  are  doing  in  Marsovan.  I  was 
astonished  at  its  extent  and  thoroughness.  May  I  say,  how- 
ever, that  the  most  agreeable  feature  to  me  was  the  complete 
harmony  with  which  the  whole  college  staff  work  together.  I 
had  many  conversations  with  graduates,  and  with  leading 
men  of  the  Armenian  community,  as  well  as  with  Greeks,  and 
from  all  I  gathered  the  impression  that  the  college  was  a 
center  of  light  and  leading,  and  that  its  influence  already  ex- 
tends far  beyond  the  college  walls.  A  few  more  institutions, 
run  in  the  same  spirit,  would  do  far  more  for  the  develop- 
ment of  Anatolia  into  a  country  with  a  hopeful  future  for 
commerce,  industry,  and  civilization,  and  one  where  justice 
would  be  administered  irrespective  of  race  or  religion,  than 
any  mere  legislation  could  secure."  On  commencement  day 
Sir  Edwin  gave  a  highly  appreciated  address  on  "Various 
Ideals  and  Methods  of  Educational  Culture." 

According  to  a  statement  made  by  President  Tracy,  one- 
tenth  of  the  alumni  of  the  college  were  teachers,  one-sixth 
were  physicians,  one-sixth  also  were  preachers  of  the  Gospel. 
It  may  be  added  that  many  of  the  graduates  have  gone  to 
Europe  and  America  for  further  study,  and  that  whatever 


218  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

the  business  or  profession  of  the  graduates  has  been,  on  the 
whole  they  have  been  centers  of  light  and  power. 

Finally,  the  college  has  been  a  religious  success.  All  due 
respect  has  been  shown  to  the  religious  faith  of  the  students 
and  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  proselyte.  At  the  same 
time,  owing  to  the  simple  Biblical  instruction  given  and  to 
the  Christian  life  and  character  of  the  teachers,  the  students 
have  found  themselves  in  a  genuine  religious  atmosphere,  and 
have  come  to  know  their  spiritual  needs  and  their  Saviour, 
and  not  a  few  of  them  have  publicly  declared  their  purpose  to 
follow  Christ.  It  is  a  striking  fact  that  while  a  majority  of 
the  students  have  come  from  non-Protestant  families,  the 
parents  have  distinctly  chosen  to  send  their  sons  to  Anatolia 
College  on  account  of  the  vigorous  efforts  put  forth  by  the 
president  and  teachers  to  suppress  all  forms  of  vice  and  to 
maintain  a  high  moral  tone  in  the  college.  Thus  Anatolia 
College  has  realized  the  object  of  a  Christian  and  missionary 
institution. 

During  Dr.  Tracy's  service  of  46  years  Mrs.  Tracy  was  her 
husband's  most  efficient  and  devoted  helpmeet.  At  the  An- 
nual Meeting  of  the  American  Board  at  Kansas  City,  October, 
1913,  Dr.  Tracy,  when  called  upon  to  speak,  began  his  address 
with  the  following  remark  concerning  his  devoted  wife  who 
stood  at  his  side :  "I  will  not  accept  any  recognition  here  or 
elsewhere,  in  which  this  faithful  wife  has  not  a  full  share. " 

In  a  letter  to  the  author  under  date  of  February  27,  1916, 
Dr.  Tracy  pays  the  following  tribute  to  "this  faithful  wife": 
"The  woman  who  has  borne  the  hard  trials  of  all  the  years, 
labors  of  patience,  bereavements  repeated  and  sore,  never 
ceased  from  earnest  daily  toil  among  the  people  and  for  the 
people,  was  nurse  and  mother  to  the  sick  and  poor,  came  to 
their  rescue  in  time  of  epidemic  or  pestilence,  had  the  care 
of  500  cholera  patients  in  1894,  and  by  a  combination  of  treat- 
ments saved  all  but  a  few  who  came  at  a  late  stage;  who  in 
the  massacre  of  November  15,  1895,  was  absolutely  fearless 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  219 

and  had  to  be  restrained  from  going  into  the  street  to  try  and 
save  the  people  from  the  mob;  who  cared  for  nearly  2,000 
during  the  following  reign  of  terror  when  renewal  of  the 
massacre  was  weekly  expected;  who  every  Friday  noon 
(the  usual  time  of  massacre  outbreak)  put  on  her  hat  and 
walked  up  and  down  the  streets  alone  to  reassure  the  quiv- 
ering people;  who  has  through  all  our  united  life  shown  and 
done  so  much  more  of  the  Christlike  than  I  have — how  could 
I  decently  accept  recognition  with  her  left  out?" 

Surely  Mrs.  Tracy  deserves  the  highest  recognition  and  the 
warmest  gratitude  not  only  of  her  devoted  husband  but  also 
of  every  friend  of  Christ  and  humanity.  Let  me  add  that 
many  other  missionaries  would  gladly  pay  a  like  glowing  trib- 
ute to  their  devoted  wives. 

In  1913  Dr.  Tracy  resigned  the  presidency  of  the  college, 
and  a  worthy  successor  was  found  in  the  person  of  Dr. 
George  E.  White,  who  had  long  been  connected  with  the  in- 
stitution. May  God's  richest  blessing  attend  his  administra- 
tion! 

EUPHRATES  COLLEGE 

Euphrates  College  was  established  at  Harpout  in  1876. 
This  city,  of  20,000  inhabitants,  is  situated  600  miles  east  of 
Constantinople,  and  faces  a  rich  plain  30  miles  long  and  20 
broad,  studded  with  villages  and  towns.  The  year  after  the 
opening  of  the  college  there  were  in  this  field,  comprising 
80,000  square  miles,  22  evangelical  churches  with  30  pastors 
and  preachers  and  1,332  members;  83  common  schools  with 
2,469  pupils ;  one  high  school  for  boys  with  95  pupils  and  one 
girls  boarding  school  with  61  pupils,  and  6,913  registered 
Protestants.  The  average  attendance  on  Sabbath  services 
was  5,612,  and  the  pupils  of  the  Sunday  schools  numbered 
2,897.  Such  in  less  than  25  years  was  the  fruit  of  the  seed- 
sowing  of  the  faithful  pioneer,  Rev.  George  W.  Dunmore, 
and  of  the  indefatigable  labors  of  the  grand  company  of  mis- 


220  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

sionaries,  Messrs.  C.  H.  Wheeler,  O.  P.  Allen,  and  H.  N.  Bar- 
num  and  their  wives.  All  of  these  missionaries  have  been 
called  to  their  reward  save  our  beloved  Brother  Allen,  who 
under  the  loving  care  of  his  daughter  still  waits  for  the  call, 
at  Brousa.  The  last  to  leave  us  was  Mary,  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Goodell,  who  was  married  to  Rev.  H.  N.  Barnum  in 
1860,  and  after  55  years  of  residence  in  Harpout  entered  into 
rest  on  May  9,  1915.  For  length  of  service  and  devotion  and 
fruitfulness  few  lives  of  missionaries  can  compare  with  those 
of  herself  and  husband. 

As  at  Aintab,  so  at  Harpout  the  high  school  for  boys,  called 
the  normal  school,  was  the  germ  of  the  college.  In  1877  one 
of  the  most  intelligent  men  remarked  to  one  of  the  mission- 
aries: "The  eyes  of  the  whole  community  are  turned  to- 
wards your  schools.  The  one  hopeful  sign  for  the  future  is 
the  body  of  young  men  and  boys  whom  you  are  training." 
In  one  year  three  Turkish  governors  visited  the  normal  school 
in  succession,  and  each  one  of  them  said  to  the  pupils :  ' l  The 
government  is  in  need  of  men  like  you.  Be  faithful,  and  you 
will  find  no  lack  of  honorable  employment."  Missionaries, 
pastors  and  people  echoed  the  demand  for  a  college,  and  the 
Board  gave  its  approval.  Finally,  in  1875,  at  the  request  of 
all  the  missionaries  and  their  native  co-workers,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wheeler  left  Harpout  for  America,  both  to  recuperate 
their  strength  and  to  secure  funds  for  the  college.  In  1878 
they  returned  with  a  considerable  sum  for  buildings  and  en- 
dowment— the  fruit  of  strenuous  and  "irresistible"  pleading. 
By  1880  the  sum  of  $60,000,  originally  asked  for,  was  practi- 
cally secured.  In  1878  the  college  received  a  charter  from 
Massachusetts,  and  in  1880  the  first  class  was  graduated. 
Euphrates  College,  unlike  any  other  in  Turkey,  was  for  both 
sexes,  though  in  separate  departments,  and  included  a  normal 
school  and  a  theological  seminary.  With  the  characteristic 
zeal  and  push  of  its  first  president,  Dr.  Wheeler,  loyally  sup- 
ported by  his  missionary  and  native  colleagues,  and  under  the 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  221 

wise  administration  of  his  successors,  the  college  has  had  a 
steady  and  substantial  growth,  has  supplied  the  native  com- 
munities with  able  ministers  and  teachers,  has  promoted  the 
independence  and  self-support  of  the  churches  and  has  ad- 
vanced all  the  varied  interests  of  society. 

In  the  massacre  of  1895  the  Turks  attempted  to  destroy  the 
college,  because  they  regarded  it  as  the  means  of  enlighten- 
ment and  strength,  to  the  Armenians  whom  they  wished  to 
crush.  Eight  of  the  12  mission  houses  and  school  build- 
ings were  looted  and  burned.  The  missionaries,  the  several 
hundred  Armenian  students,  and  many  others  fled  for  refuge 
to  the  main  college  building  on  the  hill.  The  commander  of 
the  Turkish  soldiers  who  had  taken  part  in  the  massacre, 
wishing  to  kill  the  Armenians  without  injury  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, sent  word  that  all  the  Americans  must  leave  the  college 
building,  but,  through  the  white-haired  Doctor  H.  N.  Barnum, 
who  faced  the  commander  in  person,  the  reply  was  given  that 
not  one  American  would  leave  the  place,  and  that  the  com- 
mander himself  would  be  held  responsible  for  all  injuries 
done  to  person  or  property.  Cannon  had  been  aimed  at  the 
building,  but  not  a  shot  was  fired.  The  total  damage  done 
to  American  property  was  estimated  at  $88,000.  The  Turks 
thought  that  the  college  had  received  its  death  blow,  but  it 
did  not  die;  on  the  contrary,  it  revived  and  grew  as  never 
before.  The  year  before  the  massacre  the  students,  male  and 
female,  numbered  scarcely  550,  but  within  two  years  the  num- 
ber had  increased  to  750,  and  in  1902  the  total  number  in  all 
departments  was  1,100.  In  1901  an  indemnity  of  about 
$100,000  was  paid  to  the  United  States  government,  to  be 
distributed  to  the  different  stations  which  had  suffered  loss, 
and  with  the  portion  of  the  indemnity  which  fell  to  Harpout 
and  with  other  aid  the  college  was  rebuilt.  The  present  num- 
ber of  buildings  is  seven,  three  for  the  males,  two  for  females, 
and  two  for  the  residences  of  the  president  and  of  other 
American  teachers.  In  1903  Thomas  H,  Norton,  Esq.,  United 


222  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

States  Consul  at  Harpout,  expressed  himself  in  the  Mission- 
ary Herald  as  follows :  "It  is  marvelous  how  Euphrates  Col- 
lege survived  the  terrible  events  of  1895,  how  its  scattered 
classes  have  been  reorganized,  how  hundreds  of  orphans  have 
been  sheltered  and  educated,  how  new  and  admirably  adapted 
structures  have  arisen  from  the  ashes  of  its  burned  dormi- 
tories and  class  rooms.  With  a  mere  handful  of  American 
teachers  and  entirely  inadequate  financial  support,  the  work 
has  been  prosecuted  with  so  much  energy  and  devotion  that  it 
is  now  a  most  powerful  leaven,  felt  throughout  a  widespread 
territory.  The  standards  of  thought,  of  ethical  conduct,  and 
of  material  life  have  been  notably  raised,  even  in  isolated  sec- 
tions. On  every  side  we  see  the  effect  on  the  educational  move- 
ment in  this  part  of  Turkey  of  the  one  institution  introducing 
and  exemplifying  American  methods  of  instruction.  The 
schools  under  the  direction  of  the  Turkish  authorities  and  of 
the  various  native  Christian  sects  are  steadily  increasing  in 
number ;  they  imitate  our  system  of  teaching,  and  they  recruit 
their  teaching  force  from  among  the  graduates  of  Euphrates 
College." 

Owing  to  physical  infirmities  Dr.  Wheeler  withdrew  from 
the  college  in  1893,  and  Dr.  C.  F.  Gates,  missionary  at  Mar- 
din,  was  chosen  president.  In  1902  Dr.  Gates  resigned,  that 
he  might  accept  the  presidency  of  Robert  College,  and  in  1903 
he  was  succeeded  by  Eev.  Henry  H.  Riggs.  In  1910  Mr. 
Riggs  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  Rev.  Ernest 
W.  Riggs.  The  two  brothers,  grandsons  of  Dr.  Elias  Riggs, 
show  the  excellency  of  team  work  at  Harpout.  Long  may 
the  name  Riggs  continue  to  be  found  in  the  records  of  the 
Board!  Owing  to  the  recent  wars  and  to  the  emigration  of 
many  Armenians  to  America  the  number  of  students  has 
largely  diminished,  and  in  1914  the  total  registration  was  611 ; 
the  college  department,  however,  was  larger  than  ever.  At 
the  same  time  the  resources  of  the  college  have  increased, 
amounting  in  endowment  in  1912  to  $94,000,  with  a  total 


EMILY  C.   WHEELER  CROSBY    H.    WHEELER  MRS.  WHEELER 


HARRIET    SEYMOUR 


CAROLINE   E.    BUSH 


H.   S.   BARNUM  H.    H.  ATKINSON,   M.  D.  H.    N.    BARNUM 

EASTERN    TURKEY   MISSION,    HARPOUT 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  223 

plant  value  of  more  than  $75,000.  A  considerable  sum  has 
come  from  the  gifts  of  Protestant  Armenians,  both  for  schol- 
arships and  endowment.  Special  mention  should  be  made  of 
the  bequest  of  $15,000  from  Mr.  Sarkis  Telfeyan,  of  New 
York.  New  branches  of  study  have  been  opened,  and  the 
college  is  in  a  position  to  exert  an  ever-increasing  influence. 

"Of  a  total  of  317  men  and  191  women  who  up  to  1911  re- 
ceived the  diploma  of  Euphrates  College,  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  any  who  have  failed  to  carry  out,  in  some  degree  at 
least,  the  ideals  and  spirit  of  their  Alma  Mater. " 

Whatever  may  be  the  issue  of  the  great  war,  Christians  and 
Mohammedans  will  still  occupy  the  rich  territory  of  Asia 
Minor.  May  the  college  ever  be  used  by  God  for  the  better- 
ment of  all  the  people,  both  Christians  and  Moslems ! 

THE  INTERNATIONAL  COLLEGE 

The  reputed  birthplace  of  Homer,  the  home  of  Polycarp 
and  scene  of  his  martyrdom,  and  the  chief  remaining  seat  of 
the  apocalyptic  churches,  Smyrna  is  one  of  the  most  illus- 
trious cities  of  Asia  Minor.  Though  several  times  destroyed 
by  wars  and  earthquakes  and  depopulated  by  the  plague,  its 
commanding  commercial  situation  has  assured  its  rebuilding 
and  growth.  The  modern  city  lies  at  the  end  of  the  Gulf  of 
Smyrna  and  possesses  a  magnificent  harbor.  It  is  connected 
with  the  interior  by  two  railroads,  one  of  which  runs  north- 
east, and,  passing  by  the  ruins  of  Ephesus,  traverses  the  fer- 
tile country  where  are  grown  the  famous  Smyrna  figs,  and 
the  other  road  going  northeast,  crosses  the  rich  plain  of  Lydia, 
and,  passing  by  the  cities  of  Thyatira  and  Philadelphia  and 
the  ruins  of  Sardis,  extends  to  Afion  Kara  Hissar,  the  center 
of  the  opium  trade.  At  the  latter  place  the  Smyrna  road  con- 
nects with  the  Bagdad  railway,  which,  under  German  control, 
starts  from  Constantinople,  and,  passing  through  the  heart 
of  Asia  Minor  to  the  valley  of  the  Euphrates,  is  eventually  to 


224  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

reach  Bagdad.  A  branch  of  the  Smyrna  railroad  terminates 
at  Banderma,  a  port  on  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  and  so  affords  a 
second  connection  with  Constantinople.  Thus  situated  for 
traffic  by  land  and  sea,  Smyrna  is  commercially  the  most  im- 
portant city  of  Turkey.  In  recent  years  the  population  is 
said  to  have  reached  the  number  of  325,000,  nearly  two- 
thirds  of  whom  were  Greeks.  Possessed  of  such  commercial 
advantages,  the  Smyrniots  have  amassed  wealth,  which  ap- 
pears in  their  dress,  in  the  elegance  of  their  homes,  in  splen- 
did churches  and  in  public  charities  and  schools.  While  de- 
serving praise  for  their  humanitarianism,  their  moral  and  re- 
ligious state  has  been  singularly  sad. 

Smyrna  is  one  of  those  great  centers  of  worldliness,  fashion, 
and  politics,  whose  evangelization  is  the  most  difficult  practi- 
cal question  of  this  Christian  age.  In  such  centers  primitive 
Christianity  achieved  its  grandest  triumphs,  but  modern 
Christianity  has  thus  far  won  comparatively  small  success. 

Smyrna  was  the  first  place  in  Asia  Minor  visited  by  mis- 
sionaries of  the  American  Board,  and  in  1833  Messrs.  Temple 
and  Hallock  occupied  the  place  as  a  permanent  station. 
Thenceforward  for  20  years  the  mission  press  established  in 
Smyrna  issued  many  thousand  copies  of  the  Scriptures  and 
religious  and  educational  books,  which  were  distributed 
throughout  the  country.  The  missionaries  while  chiefly  en- 
gaged in  translation  and  printing,  were  also  faithful  in 
preaching  the  Gospel  in  Greek,  Turkish,  and  Armenian.  In 
1853  an  evangelical  church  was  formed,  and  in  1859  the  first 
Protestant  chapel  was  erected.  In  1881  the  chapel  was  super- 
seded by  a  beautiful  Gothic  church.  In  1883,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Rev.  George  Constantine  a  Greek  Evangelical  Alli- 
ance was  formed,  embracing  20  evangelical  Greek  churches, 
and  from  that  time  onward  the  work  was  carried  forward, 
both  among  Greeks  and  Armenians,  with  more  zeal  and  suc- 
cess. In  general,  however,  the  people  of  Smyrna  have  cared 
more  for  education  than  for  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  225 

it  was  found  that  the  most  feasible  way  to  reach  and  im- 
press the  rising  generation  was  by  means  of  Christian  schools. 
In  1878  a  girls  boarding  school  and  in  1879  a  boys  high 
school  were  opened,  and  both  these  schools,  under  the  foster- 
ing care  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marcellus  Bowen,  met  a  felt  want 
and  won  the  support  of  the  people.  In  1891  Rev.  Alexander 
MacLachlan  assumed  the  care  of  the  high  school  for  boys, 
and  under  his  skillful  management  and  earnest  endeavor  the 
school  made  rapid  progress.  The  American  Board  aided  the 
school  for  a  few  years  to  the  extent  of  $1,000  a  year,  and  in 
3892  made  a  special  grant  of  $10,000  for  the  purchase 
of  a  commodious  building.  Aided  and  encouraged  also  by  an 
able  board  of  managers,  the  school  within  10  years  secured 
250  pupils  and  became  substantially  self-supporting.  In 
1903  the  school  received  a  charter  from  Massachusetts  under 
the  name  of  The  International  College,  and  within  another  10 
years  the  students  increased  to  the  number  of  350.  Owing 
to  the  steady  growth  of  the  college  its  accommodations  became 
altogether  inadequate  and  a  change  of  locality  was  impera- 
tive. Finally,  in  1911,  largely  through  the  generosity  of  Mrs. 
John  S.  Kennedy,  of  New  York,  a  new  and  beautiful  site  for 
the  college  was  secured  outside  the  city,  in  a  place  from  an- 
cient times  fittingly  called  Paradise.  Here,  on  an  extensive 
campus,  surrounded  by  a  wall,  are  a  house  for  the  president, 
two  houses  for  professors,  a  gymnasium,  and  a  stately  build- 
ing called  MacLachlan  Hall,  to  be  surmounted  by  a  clock 
lower  70  feet  high.  A  new  dormitory,  an  assembly  hall,  and 
a  building  for  the  preparatory  department  are  also  contem- 
plated. With  this  new  equipment  the  college  will  be  in  a 
position  to  meet  the  great  opportunities  which  open  before  it. 
Situated  in  a  broad  and  wealthy  country,  accessible  by  rail 
and  sea,  with  a  large  and  able  corps  of  instructors,  with  no 
institution  within  several  hundred  miles  to  compete  with  it, 
the  college  will  draw  students  from  all  nationalities,  and  not 
only  from  the  province  of  Smyrna,  but  also  from  the  Grecian 


226  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

islands  and  from  Greece  itself.  Parents  in  Turkey  are  seek- 
ing, more  and  more,  not  only  a  place  for  the  education  of 
their  sons,  but  also  a  place  morally  safe.  Such  a  place  is  to 
be  found  where  the  Bible  is  faithfully  taught. 

What  the  International  College  is  doing  for  young  men, 
the  Collegiate  Institute  for  Girls,  under  the  wise  and  zealous 
care  of  Miss  Emily  McCallum,  is  doing  for  young  women.  A 
normal  school  for  the  instruction  of  Kindergarten  teachers, 
opened  in  1885  by  Miss  Nellie  S. 'Bartlett,  has  helped  intro- 
duce the  Kindergarten  system  throughout  Turkey.  A  Bead- 
ing Room,  called  the  "Rest,"  for  English  sailors  and  others, 
has  been  a  very  useful  auxiliary.  All  these  institutions  have 
rendered  invaluable  aid  to  the  evangelistic  work,  carried  on 
chiefly  by  the  able  pastors  of  the  Greek  and  Armenian  evan- 
gelical churches. 

SAINT  PAUL'S  INSTITUTE 

It  is  fitting  that  an  American  institution  should  be  estab- 
lished in  the  city  illustrious  as  the  birthplace  of  the  great 
apostle.  It  was  once  "no  mean  city,"  though  now  it  has 
little  of  grandeur,  save  in  its  surroundings.  With  a  popula- 
tion of  18,000,  Tarsus  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Cydnus 
in  the  wide  and  fertile  plain  of  Cilicia,  10  miles  from  the 
shore  of  the  Mediterranean,  with  the  Taurus  mountains  in 
the  background.  Renowned  in  ancient  times  as  a  place  of 
education  and  made  a  "free  city"  by  the  order  of  Augustus, 
once  again,  after  centuries  of  misrule  and  decay,  its  life  is 
quickened  by  the  influence  of  a  Christian  college.  As  a 
source  of  spiritual  light  and  power,  may  the  college  deserve 
the  great  name  it  bears !  The  establishment  of  the  college  in 
Tarsus  was  clearly  providential.  In  1885  Colonel  Elliott  F. 
Shepard,  a  wealthy  and  benevolent  New  Yorker,  was  on  his 
way  to  Jerusalem.  While  his  steamer  was  waiting  at  Mersin, 
learning  that  Tarsus  was  only  18  miles  away,  and  curi- 
ous to  see  what  sort  of  a  place  was  the  birthplace  of  Paul, 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  227 

he  came  by  carriage  to  the  city.  A  missionary  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board  on  a  visit  to  Tarsus  met  him,  showed  him  the 
antiquities  of  the  place  and  entertained  him  with  an  account 
of  its  ancient  grandeur  and  of  its  present  spiritual  destitu- 
tion. Interested  in  the  story,  Colonel  Shepard  inquired, 
"What  is  needed  now  to  help  on  the  evangelistic  work?" 
The  missionary  replied,  "A  Christian  school  of  high  grade 
for  young  men."  Thereupon  Colonel  Shepard  seems  to  have 
formed  the  purpose  on  the  spot  to  establish  a  school  in  Tar- 
sus, and  on  his  return  to  New  York  he  organized  a  board  of 
trustees  for  the  school,  of  which  Dr.  Howard  Crosby  was  the 
first  president.  In  1887  a  charter  was  obtained  from  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  in  1888  Eev.  Mr.  Jenanian,  an  able 
Armenian  pastor,  educated  in  the  mission  schools  in  Turkey 
and  in  America,  and  Rev.  Alexander  MacLachlan  were  en- 
gaged to  proceed  to  Tarsus  and  open  the  school.  They  en- 
tered on  the  work  with  zeal  and  courage,  to  the  great  joy  of 
the  local  evangelical  church  then  ministered  to  by  Rev.  Hagop 
Yeranian,  now  known  for  many  years  as  the  efficient  and 
brave  pastor  of  the  Protestant  church  at  Anon  Kara  Hissar. 
In  1889  the  Institute  had  14  boarders  and  two  day  scholars, 
"bright  and  earnest"  young  men.  In  1891  Mr.  MacLachlan 
became  a  missionary  of  the  Board,  and  soon  after  was  called 
to  be  the  principal  of  the  boys  high  school  at  Smyrna.  In 
1893  Rev.  Thomas  D.  Christie,  returning  to  the  Central  Tur- 
key Mission,  was  located  at  Tarsus,  and  appointed  principal 
of  the  Institute.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Shepard  and  a  few  friends 
continued  their  financial  support  under  the  new  administra- 
tion, and  the  school  enjoyed  steady  growth.  New  land  was 
purchased  and  new  buildings  were  erected.  A  course  of  study 
covering  10  years,  namely  five  years  in  the  academy  and  five 
in  the  college,  was  laid  out,  and,  as  in  the  other  missionary  col- 
leges, five  languages  were  taught.  Great  attention  was  given 
to  gymnastics  and  to  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  and  an 
orchestra  of  24  pieces  was  formed,  It  was  essentially  a  home 


228  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

school.  "We  live  among  our  boys,"  said  the  principal. 
During  the  school  year  1902-03  there  were  204  students, 
of  whom  152  were  Armenians,  36  were  Greeks,  12  were  Arabs, 
two  were  Turks,  one  a  Kourd,  and  one  an  Italian.  Up  to  1903 
one-third  of  the  graduates  entered  the  ministry,  one-third 
became  teachers,  some  became  physicians,  some  engaged  in 
business,  one  became  a  civil  engineer,  and  one  the  "business 
partner"  of  Menelek,  King  of  Abyssinia.  Best  of  all,  the 
building  up  of  Christian  character  was  the  chief  aim  of  the 
school.  In  1913  there  were  223  students,  who  came  from 
47  towns  and  villages,  and  paid  for  tuition  and  board  $4,800. 
In  its  origin  and  maintenance  Saint  Paul's  Institute  has 
been  independent  of  the  American  Board,  though  in  perfect 
sympathy  with,  and  indebted  to  the  Board's  missionaries  for 
instructors  and  leaders.  Mr.  Jenanian  organized  the  school, 
but  since  1893  to  the  present  time  its  success  has  been  due  to 
Dr.  Christie.  A  Scotchman  by  descent,  a  brave  captain  of 
artillery  in  the  American  Civil  war,  a  born  leader,  a  master 
of  the  Turkish  language,  with  a  mind  to  see  things,  a  will  to 
do  things,  of  dauntless  courage  and  unwearying  effort,  Dr. 
Christie  has  been  an  ideal  president.  His  brave  wife,  also, 
has  been  an  ideal  helper,  often  taking  the  helm  in  her  hus- 
band's absence  or  illness,  capable  in  administration,  a  wise 
manager  of  the  finances,  able  both  to  instruct  and  to  com- 
mand. While  her  husband  was  away  at  Adana  at  the  time 
of  the  dreadful  massacre  of  1909,  while  her  daughter's  hus- 
band, the  brave  young  Rogers,  was  laid  low  by  Turkish  bul- 
lets, and  while  the  Turkish  mob  was  looting  and  burning  the 
Armenian  houses  in  Tarsus  and  killing  the  Armenian  men, 
Mrs.  Christie  and  her  daughter  opened  the  doors  of  the  col- 
lege compound  and  saved  the  lives  of  some  5,000  women  and 
children  and  men,  who  fled  to  the  college  for  refuge  before 
the  raging  mob.  At  night,  lying  side  by  side  on  the  ground, 
the  crowd  covered  the  entire  area  of  the  campus,  and  for  two 
weeks  the  brave  women,  mother  ancl  daughter,  with  no  time 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  229 

for  their  own  griefs,  protected  and  comforted  and  fed  the 
frightened  multitude.  After  the  terror  had  passed  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Christie  organized  methods  for  the  relief  of  the  destitute 
people  and  opened  an  orphanage  for  the  fatherless  boys  and 
girls.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  name  of  Christie  is  dear  to 
the  people  of  Tarsus,  and  that  multitudes  pray  that  God 
may  long  spare  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Christie  to  the  college  and 
church  and  city. 

THE  HIGH  SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE  AT  VAN 

The  city  of  Van  is  350  miles  southeast  of  Trebizond  and 
1,000  miles  east  of  Constantinople.  It  is  supposed  to  have 
been  founded  by  Queen  Semiramis  as  a  summer  resort  from 
the  heats  of  Babylon,  and  on  its  rocks  are  found  many 
cuneiform  inscriptions.  It  was  once  the  center  of  a  large 
Armenian  population,  ruled  for  many  hundred  years  by  their 
own  kings,  until  in  the  llth  century  they  were  overthrown 
by  the  Seljukian  Turks.  The  old  city  lies  at  the  foot  of  a 
rocky  hill,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  wall  which  runs  along  the 
crest  of  the  hill  and  encloses  a  citadel,  now  in  ruins.  It  is 
near  the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Van,  a  body  of  salt  water,  50 
miles  long,  1,400  square  miles  in  extent,  and  5,500  feet  above 
sea  level.  The  lake  is  surrounded  by  mountains  which  tower 
above  it  from  10,000  to  14,000  feet.  One  hundred  miles 
northeast  of  Van  is  the  snow-capped  peak  of  Ararat.  In  1914 
the  city  had  about  35,000  inhabitants,  and  the  province  a 
population  of  250,000,  of  whom  one-half  were  Armenians  and 
the  remainder  Turks  and  Kourds.  The  places  of  business 
were  within  the  walled  city,  but  most  of  the  people  resided  in 
the  "Gardens,"  a  stretch  of  level  land  covered  with  trees 
and  vineyards  and  extending  from  four  to  six  miles  on  two 
sides  of  the  city.  It  is  a  beautiful  situation  where  every 
natural  prospect  pleases. 

Rev.  and  Mrs.  Henry  S.  Barnum  and  Rev.  George  C.  Ray- 


230  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

nolds,  M.D.,  and  wife,  who  had  resided  for  a  few  years  in 
Harpout,  occupied  Van  as  a  missionary  station  in  1872.  They 
found  that  the  Armenians  of  Van  were  more  intelligent  than 
those  of  other  interior  cities  of  Asia  Minor,  and  were  con- 
trolled by  a  strong  national  spirit,  a  spirit  which  was  stimu- 
lated by  the  clergy  of  the  numerous  churches  and  of  the  28 
monasteries  established  in  the  province.  The  teaching  of 
spiritual  truth  to  a  people  so  dominated  by  national  senti- 
ment was  no  easy  matter.  To  some  of  the  people  the  utter 
formality  of  the  church  services  and  the  sordidness  of  the 
ecclesiastics  were  apparent,  but  the  apprehension  of  spiritual 
truth  and  the  recognition  of  a  true  religious  life  could  come 
only  through  light  breaking  from  the  Word  of  God.  For- 
tunately the  missionaries  had  in  hand  the  modern  Armenian 
Bible,  and  several  thousand  copies,  in  whole  or  in  parts,  were 
sold,  and  these  Scriptures,  expounded  by  the  missionaries, 
were  the  source  of  light  and  life.  In  the  course  of  time, 
according  to  a  declaration  of  Dr.  Raynolds,  more  than  half  the 
Armenian  houses  in  the  city  were  in  possession  of  the  New 
Testament,  and  hardly  a  village  could  be  found  without  a  few 
copies  of  the  precious  book.  The  labors  of  a  Protestant 
preacher  in  explaining  the  Bible  to  the  people  were  greatly 
blessed,  and  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  appeared  in  the  desire 
of  persons  enlightened  to  restore  money  dishonestly  obtained 
and  to  make  amends  for  other  wrong-doing.  In  1876  a  church 
of  10  members  was  formed,  and  schools  for  boys  and  girls 
were  opened.  In  1878  religious  services  were  conducted  in 
two  chapels,  one  in  the  missionary  compound  in  the  Gardens 
and  one  in  the  walled  town.  It  is  pleasant  to  record  that  the 
evangelical  Armenians  were  not  oppressed  by  their  Gregorian 
countrymen,  and  so  had  no  occasion  to  form  a  separate 
Protestant  community,  and  that  to  this  day  all  the  Armenians 
in  Van  in  civil  matters  hold  together.  In  1883  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barnum  visited  America,  and  on  their  return,  were  designated 
to  Constantinople,  where  for  more  than  25  years  Dr.  Barnum 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  231 

labored  as  editor  of  the  missionary  paper,  the  Avedaper. 
No  other  feature  of  the  work  in  Van  was  so  attractive  to 
the  people  as  the  schools,  and  here  as  elsewhere,  though  heavily 
burdened  by  taxation  and  distressed  by  the  robberies  and 
cruelties  of  the  Kourds,  they  were  ready  to  make  every  pos- 
sible sacrifice  for  the  education  of  their  children.  The  boys 
school  steadily  grew  in  popularity  and  influence,  and  the 
girls  school,  started  by  Mrs.  Raynolds  in  1880,  and  after 
1882  carried  on  by  the  Misses  Johnson  and  Kimball,  in  four 
years  increased  the  number  of  its  pupils  from  four  to  60. 
In  1890,  the  writer's  son,  Rev.  Frederick  D.  Greene,  and  wife 
joined  the  Van  station,  and  labored  there  four  years  with 
zeal  and  gladness,  but  in  1894  were  obliged  to  withdraw  on 
account  of  ill  health  due  to  the  high  altitude.  The  same  year 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  Herbert  M.  Allen  came  to  the  assistance  of 
Dr.  Raynolds.  Mr.  Allen,  born  at  Harpout,  familiar  from 
childhood  with  the  language,  and  in  ardent  sympathy  with 
the  Armenian  people,  assumed  charge  of  the  boys  school  and 
was  also  very  popular  as  a  preacher.  During  the  period  of 
Mr.  Allen's  labor  in  Van,  both  he  and  Dr.  Raynolds  were 
largely  occupied  in  distributing  relief  to  the  thousands  of 
sufferers  from  massacre.  Through  the  generosity  of  friends 
in  Europe  and  America  they  were,  at  times,  furnishing  bread 
and  providing  work  for  10,000  Armenians,  and  were  caring 
for  500  orphans  gathered  in  schools.  Left  alone  by  the  with- 
drawal of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  in  1898,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Raynolds 
were  overwhelmed  with  work.  "Writing  of  them  in  1900,  on 
the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  Van,  Rev.  Mr.  Coan,  of  Oroumiah, 
made  the  following  statement :  "It  has  been  a  great  privilege 
to  see  the  wonderful  work  that  is  being  carried  on  here  by 
those  two  giants,  Dr.  Raynolds  and  his  wife.  Think  of  a  man 
as  distributing  relief  all  over  the  plain,  keeping  up  preaching 
services  in  two  places,  and  superintending  the  care  of  500 
orphans  and  400  day  pupils,  the  500  not  only  cared  for  physi- 
cally but  also  taught,  and  so  utilized  as  in  part  to  pay  their 


232  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

own  expenses."  Fortunately  in  1899  Dr.  Raynolds  was  re- 
lieved by  the  coming  of  Dr.  Clarence  D.  Ussher,  who  up  to  1915 
continued  his  medical  and  spiritual  work  with  ever-increasing 
efficiency.  Writing  some  months  after  his  arrival,  Dr. 
Ussher  made  the  following  statement  respecting  Dr.  Raynolds : 
"I  doubt  if  there  is  another  man  in  Turkey  who  is  more 
respected  and  beloved  and  trusted.  The  Gregorians  speak 
of  him  as  the  second  ' Enlightener '  and  the  'Saviour  of  the 
nation/  '  (Let  me  explain  that  the  first  "Enlightener"  was 
St.  Gregory  who  brought  the  Gospel  to  the  Armenians  in  the 
fourth  century.)  In  1901  Dr.  Ussher  established  a  hospital 
with  50 -beds,  and  the  receipts  for  his  medical  service  covered 
the  expense  of  the  hospital.  He  speaks  of  the  villagers  as 
"begging  for  teachers  and  eager  for  the  Gospel,"  and  of  the 
orphan  boys  as  "saved  to  serve."  In  order  to  provide 
preachers  for  the  villagers  a  theological  class  was  formed,  and 
within  a  few  years  work  was  opened  in  18  villages,  with  31 
Christian  workers.  In  1904  by  the  aid  of  friends  and  through 
the  favor  of  the  Turkish  governor,  a  commodious  church  seat- 
ing 1,200  was  erected,  and,  to  the  amazement  of  the  people,  a 
windmill  was  set  up  on  the  grounds  of  the  missionary  com- 
pound. For  years  political  disturbances,  the  destitution  of 
the  people,  and  the  unwise  doings  of  Armenians,  men  driven 
to  desperation  by  injustice  and  hope  deferred,  greatly  em- 
barrassed the  missionaries,  but  through  all  sorts  of  trials  and 
dangers  they  continued  their  work.  The  coming  of  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Ernest  A.  Yarrow  in  1904  brought  great  relief  to  the 
weary  missionaries.  Mr.  Yarrow  was  appalled  by  the  poverty 
and  distress  of  the  people,  but  found  the  silver  lining  of  the 
dark  clouds  in  the  boys  school.  In  1907  there  were  300 
pupils,  with  nine  native  teachers,  three  of  whom  were  from 
Anatolia  College.  In  1909  Mr.  Yarrow  writes :  ' '  Our  educa- 
tional work  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  as  we  must  train 
our  own  workers. "  Again  he  writes :  "The  schools  are  full, 


MRS.    RAYNOLDS 


H.    M.    ALLEN 


G.    C.    RAYNOLDS,    M.    D. 


C.   D.    USHER,    M.   D.  MRS.    USHER  GEORGE  C.   KNAPP 


MARY    A.    C.    ELY  ' 

CHARLOTTE   E.    ELY 
EASTERN   TURKEY   MISSION,    VAN   AND    BITLIS 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  233 

and  the  teaching  forces  are  loyal  and  enthusiastic.  We  have 
had  two  new  recruits  from  Marsovan,  one  for  the  boys  school, 
and  one  for  the  girls.  Nothing  but  good  comes  to  us  from 
Marsovan."  In  1911  there  was  special  religious  interest, 
both  among  the  people  and  in  the  schools,  with  audiences  of 
more  than  1,000. 

As  early  as  1905  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Eastern  Turkey 
Mission  expressed  its  approval  of  establishing  a  college  at 
Van,  and  at  every  succeeding  annual  meeting  this  approval 
was  reaffirmed.  The  principal  reasons  for  this  step,  as  pre- 
sented to  the  American  Board  in  1913,  were  as  follows :  For 
several  years  there  had  been  a  rapid  development  of  the  edu- 
cational work,  with  an  increase  of  pupils  in  the  various  mis- 
sionary schools  to  the  number  of  1,200;  the  nearest  existing 
college  (Harpout)  was  at  a  distance  of  two  weeks  journey 
over  a  hard  and  dangerous  road ;  the  natural  constituency  of 
the  college  in  eastern  Turkey,  Persia,  and  Eussia  would  com- 
prise a  population  of  2,000,000;  Dr.  Eaynolds  with  his 
own  funds  had  already  secured  a  suitable  site,  and,  finally, 
the  only  means  of  combatting  the  torrent  of  unbelief  and 
irreligion,  which,  coming  from  Europe,  threatened  to  engulf 
the  rising  generation  of  Armenians,  was  the  missionary 
schools.  In  view  of  these  facts  the  Prudential  Committee 
in  April,  1913,  voted  to  establish  a  college  at  Van.  To  help 
secure  funds  for  this  object  Dr.  Raynolds  came,  the  same 
year,  to  the  United  States.  Fittingly,  his  first  appeals  were 
made  to  Armenians,  who,  from  Maine  to  California,  mani- 
fested interest  in  the  project,  and  made  gratifying  subscrip- 
tions. Dr.  Eaynolds  terminates  his  personal  appeal  with  the 
following  words:  "We  feel  that  we  are  presenting  a  most 
attractive  opening  to  any  one  seeking  an  investment  which 
shall  bring  large  returns  in  the  building  up  of  Christian 
character,  the  elevation  of  family  life  and  in  nation  building. '  ' 
It  is  surely  fitting  that  Dr.  Eaynolds,  the  veteran  of  45  years 


234  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

of  missionary  service,  should  crown  his  life's  work  as  the 
founder  and  the  first  president  of  Van  College.  May  God 
spare  him  to  see  realized  his  fond  expectations. 

It  is  pleasant  to  add  that  in  this  year  (1915)  the  colleagues 
of  Dr.  Eaynolds  in  Van — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yarrow  and  Mrs. 
Ussher — with  five  able  and  earnest  Armenian  teachers,  formed 
two  college  classes  of  16  young  men  and  women,  six  of  whom 
took  a  full  course  and  10  a  partial  course.  The  attendance  in 
the  high  schools  for  boys  and  girls  was  1,066,  besides  200 
pupils  in  the  schools  of  the  walled  city. 

It  is  sad  to  add  to  the  above  hopeful  showing  that,  owing 
to  the  war,  the  station  was  entirely  broken  up,  and  all  living 
members  returned  to  the  United  States.  Nearly  all  mission 
buildings  were  destroyed.  It  is  reported,  however,  that  after 
the  occupation  of  the  city  by  the  Russians,  many  Armenians 
returned  to  their  ruined  homes. 

RESULTS  OF  THE  EDUCATIONAL  AGENCY 

In  1913  the  educational  system,  established  by  the  American 
missions  in  Turkey  and  in  the  Balkan  peninsula,  included 
387  common  schools,  with  19,800  students,  these  schools  being 
under  the  management  of  the  native  Protestant  communities 
and  very  largely  supported  by  native  Christians;  also  50 
boarding  and  high  schools,  with  4,346  students;  also  nine 
colleges  with  1,837  students,  and  four  theological  schools  with 
28  students.  The  boarding  and  high  schools,  the  colleges  and 
the  theological  seminaries  have  always  been  under  direct 
American  management.  This  gives  a  total  of  26,011  students, 
of  whom  6,211  were  in  the  higher  institutions.  These  figures 
do  not,  of  course,  include  the  students  of  Robert  College,  nor 
those  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College  at  Beirut,  nor  those 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  College  in  Assiout,  Egypt,  nor  the 
many  pupils  in  other  missionary  schools  in  Syria  and  Egypt. 
The  majority  of  the  students  in  the  common  schools  have  come 


COLLEGES  AND  SKETCHES  235 

from  Protestant  families,  but  the  large  majority  in  the  higher 
institutions  have  come  from  families  connected  with  the 
Christian  and  Mohammedan  communities.  In  none  of  the 
American  schools  has  there  been  sectarian  teaching,  nor  any 
attack  on  the  doctrines  or  ceremonies  of  any  religious  body 
in  Turkey,  but  in  all  the  schools  there  has  been,  through 
prayer,  a  daily  recognition  of  dependence  on  God,  daily 
thanksgiving  for  blessings  received,  and  daily  petition  for 
divine  guidance.  In  all  American  schools  the  students  have 
learned  the  teachings  of  C,hrist,  and  have  been  taught  the 
value  and  necessity  of  a  pure  moral  and  spiritual  life. 

During  the  past  50  years  several  thousand  choice  young  men 
and  women  have  gone  forth  from  the  American  schools  and 
colleges,  the  young  men  to  become  teachers,  doctors,  lawyers, 
bankers,  merchants,  authors,  editors,  interpreters,  and  civil 
officials,  and  the  young  women  to  become  school  teachers  and 
wives  of  educated  men.  These  educated  men  and  women 
have  formed  model  homes,  and  have  helped  to  improve  the 
social  and  moral  condition  of  the  people.  They  aided  to 
establish  schools  and  hospitals  and  other  charitable  institu- 
tions, and  have  endeavored  in  every  way  to  develop  the  com- 
mercial prosperity  and  the  general  well-being  of  the  country. 
They  have  respected  authority,  obeyed  the  laws  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  shown  themselves  good  subjects.  In  short,  they 
have  helped  to  enrich  and  strengthen  their  native  land,  and 
have  proved  themselves  to  be  one  of  the  most  valuable  assets 
of  the  Turkish  empire.  For  any  state  not  to  recognize  the 
worth  of  such  a  body  of  subjects  were  indeed  a  stupendous 
blunder. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOLS 

WE  learn  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  in  their  evangelistic  tour 
through  Western  Asia  Minor  appointed  elders  in  every  church 
which  they  gathered.  These  elders  were  evidently  the  more 
able  and  experienced  converts — men  who  were  both  approved 
by  the  brethren  and  designated  by  the  apostles  to  watch  over, 
guide  and  instruct  the  infant  and  feeble  churches.  The  early 
missionaries  in  Asia  Minor  and  the  Balkan  peninsula  were  in 
somewhat  similar  circumstances,  and  soon  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  they  themselves  were  not  called  upon  to  become 
pastors  over  the  native  churches,  but  were  bound,  as  soon  as 
possible,  to  prepare  promising  young  men  from  among  their 
converts  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  assume  the  pastoral  office. 
So,  the  missionaries  at  Constantinople,  within  10  years  after 
their  arrival,  with  the  object  of  giving  both  intellectual  and 
religious  instruction,  established  a  high  school,  and  this  school 
in  a  few  years  developed  into  a  theological  school,  known  as 
Bebek  Seminary.  An  account  of  this  Seminary  is  given  in 
the  sketch  of  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin. 

MARSOVAN  SEMINARY 

In  1865  the  missionaries  at  Marsovan,  by  vote  of  the  West- 
ern Turkey  Mission,  opened  a  theological  school.  The  princi- 
pal teacher  in  this  school,  until  his  death  in  1896,  was  Rev. 
John  F.  Smith.  Born  in  Windsor,  Vermont,  in  1833,  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin  and  of  Lane  Semi- 
nary, for  over  33  years  he  gave  himself,  heart  and  soul,  to 

236 


THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOLS  237 

the  instruction  of  theological  students.  A  devout  Christian, 
a  man  of  ability  and  sound  convictions,  a  genial  and  attrac- 
tive teacher,  faithful  in  every  form  of  service,  Mr.  Smith  made 
an  abiding  impression  upon  the  young  men  who  in  the  course 
of  a  generation  enjoyed  his  instruction. 

Associated  with  Mr.  Smith,  for  longer  or  shorter  periods, 
were  a  beloved  native  teacher,  Rev.  Avedis  Asadourian,  Rev. 
C.  C.  Tracy  who  became  president  of  Anatolia  College,  Rev. 
I.  F.  Pettibone,  the  brother  of  sweet  humor,  lovable  and  be- 
loved, Rev.  George  F.  Herrick,  member  of  the  Literary  de- 
partment of  the  Western  Turkey  Mission,  Dr.  Benjamin 
Schneider,  esteemed  as  an  instructor  even  in  his  old  age,  Rev. 
Edward  Riggs,  and  Rev.  George  E.  White.  In  1880  promis- 
ing young  Greeks  entered  the  seminary,  and  Mr.  Riggs, 
familiar  with  the  Greek  language  from  his  youth,  became 
their  special  instructor.  A  son  of  Dr.  Elias  Riggs,  a  magnifi- 
cent specimen  of  a  man,  an  accurate  scholar,  a  profound 
thinker,  an  earnest  believer,  an  exemplar  of  the  Gospel  in 
word  and  deed,  Mr.  Riggs  was  an  admirable  teacher.  Even 
after  44  years  of  missionary  service,  the  death  of  Dr.  Edward 
Riggs  in  1913  was  untimely,  and  his  loss  to  the  seminary  was 
irreparable.  Rev.  Garabed  Toumayan,  who  had  received 
theological  instruction  in  Lausanne,  Switzerland,  and  Rev. 
J.  P.  Xenides,  who  had  studied  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  also 
assisted  in  the  work  of  the  seminary.  The  students  derived 
great  advantage  from  the  facilities  for  study  afforded  by  the 
college,  and  the  courses  of  study  were  enlarged  from  time 
to  time.  As  regards  both  the  faculty  and  the  equipment  the 
seminary  is  now  in  excellent  form,  and  hopes  soon  to  have  a 
commodious  and  much  needed  building  for  its  special  use. 

HARPOUT  SEMINARY 

The  missionaries  at  Harpout  were  in  pressing  need  of 
native  preachers  from  the  start.  The  evangelical  work  de- 


238  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

veloped  so  rapidly,  and  so  many  were  the  places  which  called 
for  preachers,  that  Mr.  Dunmore,  the  first  missionary,  during 
his  brief  stay  of  three  years  was  obliged  to  give  a  good  part  of 
his  time  to  the  instruction  of  young  men,  that  they  might 
in  some  measure  be  fitted  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  rude 
villagers.  When  in  1859  the  theological  seminary  was  for- 
mally organized,  the  students  brought  their  wives  with  them, 
since,  according  to  almost  universal  custom,  the  young  men 
were  married  early.  The  wives,  who  needed  instruction  as 
much  as  their  husbands,  became  day  pupils  in  the  girls 
school. 

The  theological  school  and  the  boarding  school  became  the 
most  important  departments  of  the  evangelical  work,  for 
from  these  schools  were  to  go  forth  the  educated  men  and 
women  who  were  to  be  the  preachers  and  teachers  in  some 
80  of  the  700  villages  and  towns  of  the  Harpout  field.  Such 
an  extensive  and  hopeful  evangelistic  work  offered  itself  in 
no  other  part  of  the  empire.  The  instruction  in  the  theo- 
logical school  and  the  college  and  the  supervision  of  the 
work  of  evangelization  throughout  the  whole  field  were  in 
the  hands  of  six  missionaries — Messrs.  Allen,  Wheeler,  and 
H.  N.  Barnum  and  their  wives — who  for  37  years  worked 
together  harmoniously  and  efficiently  without  loss  by  death  of 
one  of  their  number.  Is  the  parallel  of  such  united  and 
long-continued  labor  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  the  history  of 
missions?  Rev.  John  K.  Browne  came  in  1875,  and  his  wife 
a  year  later,  and  for  37  years  Mr.  Browne  gave  himself, 
heart  and  soul,  to  every  form  of  service,  especially  to  the 
evangelistic  work.  Often  accompanied  by  Miss  Seymour  or 
Miss  Bush,  or  by  the  two  ladies  together,  Mr.  Browne  made 
numberless  visits  to  the  outstations  of  Harpout,  and  some- 
times to  more  distant  places,  and  became  known  as  the  model 
evangelistic  preacher,  counselor,  and  friend.  The  attendance 
of  a  lady  missionary  on  such  tQiirg  was  of  great  importance. 


THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOLS  239 

since  the  lady  alone  could  reach  the  women  and  give  them 
such  instruction  and  cheer  as  they  needed. 

Rev.  James  L.  Barton  and  wife  joined  the  Harpout  band 
in  1885.  By  reason  of  the  advancing  years  of  the  early 
missionaries  Mr.  Barton's  service,  both  in  the  seminary  and 
the  general  work,  was  greatly  needed  and  appreciated. 
According  to  a  letter  in  the  Missionary  Herald  Mr.  Barton 
was  astonished  at  the  readiness  with  which  the  people  gave 
for  religious  and  educational  work — a  yearly  average  of  $5.80 
for  each  church  member,  the  equivalent,  according  to  Ameri- 
can remuneration  for  labor,  of  about  $60.  Speaking  of  the 
class  graduating  from  the  seminary  in  1890,  Mr.  Barton  said : 
"They  are  bright  men  and  do  solid  work."  In  1891  Mr. 
Barton  was  greatly  impressed  by  the  growing  influence  of  the 
Gospel  message  on  the  whole  Gregorian  community.  Com- 
pelled to  return  to  America  in  1892,  in  his  absence  Mr. 
Barton  was  chosen  to  succeed  Dr.  Wheeler  as  president  of 
Euphrates  College.  Unable,  however,  to  return  to  Harpout 
on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  his  wife,  at  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Board  in  1894  Dr.  Barton  was  chosen  to  succeed  Dr. 
Clark  as  corresponding  secretary.  Under  the  circumstances 
he  could  do  no  less  than  accept  the  call,  but  we  know  that  the 
greatest  disappointment  of  his  life  so  far  was  the  necessity 
of  giving  up  the  thought  of  returning  to  Turkey. 

In  1895  came  the  great  wave  of  massacre  in  Eastern  Asia 
Minor,  which  swept  away,  wholly  or  in  part,  cities,  towns, 
and  villages,  with  an  estimated  loss  of  100,000  Armenians, 
mostly  men  and  boys,  and  an  incalculable  loss  of  property. 
The  Protestants  suffered  by  the  death  of  pastors  and  preachers 
and  leading  men,  and  by  the  burning  of  chapels  and  schools. 
Recovery  from  the  horrors  of  that  period  and  from  the  fear 
which  for  years  pressed  upon  the  people  like  a  nightmare 
was  slow.  Indeed  it  was  not  until  the  revolution  of  the 
Young  Turks  in  1908  that  the  minds  of  men  were  reassured. 


240  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Harpout  was  the  center  of  the  massacre  region.  The  city 
itself  lost  comparatively  few  Protestants,  but  in  the  outlying 
towns  and  villages  a  large  part  of  the  work  was  destroyed. 
The  whole  Eastern  Turkey  Mission  suffered  also  from  the 
emigration  of  thousands  of  native  Protestants  to  America. 
No  wonder  the  Armenians  fled  to  a  land  of  liberty  and  safety, 
but  the  emigration  of  so  many  Protestants,  including  many 
preachers  and  teachers,  gave  an  additional  setback  to  the  work. 
One  consequence  was  that  for  more  than  10  years  the 
theological  school  at  Harpout  was  suspended.  There  were 
still  many  young  men  who  desired  to  enter  the  ministry,  but 
there  was  a  lack  of  men  to  instruct  them.  On  account  of 
death  and  removal  there  were,  in  1902,  10  less  missionaries, 
men  and  women,  than  there  were  10  years  before.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Barnum  and  Miss  Seymour  had  their  hands  full  with 
the  care  of  orphans,  of  whom  in  1900  there  were  more  than 
2,000.  To  secure  special  funds  for  the  support  of  these 
orphans  was  itself  a  great  work,  and  in  this  work  Miss  Emily 
C.  Wheeler,  after  her  return  to  America,  was  an  invaluable 
helper.  For  years  Mr.  Browne  and  Miss  Bush  spent  most  of 
their  time  in  visiting  the  enfeebled  and  discouraged  churches. 
In  1902  one-half  of  the  26  churches  of  the  Harpout  field  were 
without  pastors.  On  account  of  the  loss  of  pastors,  preachers 
and  leading  men,  and,  in  many  places,  of  chapels  and  houses 
and  furniture,  and  on  account  of  a  paralyzing  fear,  the 
people  were  without  heart  or  energy,  and  they  required  all 
the  encouragement  the  missionaries  could  give.  It  is  amazing, 
however,  that  while  poverty  and  fear  still  gripped  the  people 
in  the  Harpout  station,  in  1900  their  united  gifts  for  re- 
ligion and  education  amounted  to  nearly  three  times  the 
sum  given  for  the  general  work  by  the  Board.  In  1901  the 
gifts  of  the  people  showed  a  further  increase,  and  amounted 
to  $10,126.  The  same  year  there  were  in  all  the  schools  in 
the  station  4,126  pupils.  Whatever  else  they  lacked,  the 
people  made  incredible  sacrifices  to  rebuild  their  chapels  and 


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THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOLS  241 

educate  their  children.  In  1903,  with  the  help  of  Mr.  Browne 
and  of  Rev.  E.  F.  Carey,  who  joined  the  station  in  1901, 
special  instruction  was  given  to  a  training  class  of  10  young 
men  already  engaged  in  Christian  work  in  the  villages.  In 
1905  the  regular  work  of  the  theological  school  was  resumed 
with  a  class  of  11,  but  after  the  graduation  of  these  men, 
for  lack  of  an  adequate  teaching  force,  no  other  class  was 
received  until  1913. 

MABASH  SEMINARY 

In  the  Central  Turkey  Mission  the  preparation  of  young 
men  for  the  ministry  began  in  Aintab  in  September,  1854, 
when  Rev.  Benjamin  Schneider  and  his  associates  formed  a 
class  of  young  men  for  theological  instruction.  For  some 
years  the  members  of  the  training  class  were  given  their 
board  by  generous  Protestant  families  in  Aintab.  Until  the 
founding  of  the  Central  Turkey  College  in  1876  the  students 
joined  preparatory  studies  with  theological  training.  In  the 
course  of  10  years  the  school  fitted  20  men  for  the  ministry 
and  a  larger  number  to  be  teachers.  In  1864  the  Central 
Turkey  Mission  decided  that  the  theological  school  should  be 
removed  to  Marash,  and  placed  under  the  charge  of  Rev. 
A.  T.  Pratt  and  Rev.  Zenas  Goss.  The  reason  of  the  change 
was  the  great  hopefulness  of  evangelistic  labor  in  and  around 
Marash.  This  city,  54  miles  north  of  Aintab,  is  situated  on 
the  edge  of  an  extensive  plain,  at  the  foot  of  the  Taurus 
mountains,  with  a  population  of  about  40,000,  of  whom  15,000 
were  Armenians.  There  were  also  20,000  Armenians  in  vil- 
lages and  towns  within  a  distance  of  40  miles.  Some  of  these 
Armenians  were  mountaineers,  like  the  inhabitants  of  Zeitoun, 
brave  but  very  ignorant,  and  fanatically  attached  to  their 
church.  Eleven  times  Protestant  colporters  were  driven 
away  from  Marash.  In  1852  Dr.  Schneider,  on  his  first  visit, 
was  entertained  by  an  Armenian  who  had  received  some  en- 
lightenment, but  whose  wife  on  seeing  the  missionary  angrily 


242  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

exclaimed,  "Why  have  you  brought  here  that  Shaytan" 
(Satan)  ?  But  for  the  protection  of  the  Turkish  governor, 
Dr.  Schneider  also  would  have  been  driven  away.  In  spite 
of  violent  opposition,  however,  God's  love  prevailed,  and 
within  a  few  years  there  was  a  wonderful  change.  So  eager 
were  the  people  to  learn  the  truth  that  at  one  time  an  Ar- 
menian declared  that  an  extra  500  pounds  of  candles  would 
be  used  that  winter  in  Marash  in  reading  the  Bible.  In  1854 
an  evangelical  church  of  16  members  was  formed.  In  1862 
the  Protestants  had  increased  to  1,101  persons,  the  average 
attendance  at  the  Sabbath  morning  service  was  700,  in  the 
Sunday  school  were  765  pupils,  more  than  two-thirds  of  whom 
were  adults,  and  in  the  seven  day  schools  there  were  350 
children.  So  poor  were  the  people  that  the  value  of  the 
entire  property  of  the  Protestant  community  was  estimated 
to  be  not  more  than  $2,500.  Yet  these  poor  people  in  one 
year  paid  taxes  amounting  to  $800,  and  gave  $500  for  re- 
ligious and  educational  purposes. 

The  sudden  and  untimely  death  of  Mr.  Goss,  who  in  a  few 
years  had  endeared  himself  to  all,  prevented  the  opening  of 
the  seminary  in  1865.  Indeed,  the  working  force  was  so 
greatly  reduced  by  reason  of  the  death  of  several  mission- 
aries and  the  return  of  others  to  America  that  only  five  male 
missionaries  remained  to  man  six  stations.  In  1866,  however, 
the  seminary  was  opened,  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Pratt  and 
Mr.  Montgomery,  with  eight  students,  who  increased  the  fol- 
lowing year  to  31!  Of  these  men  eight  were  married,  and  their 
wives  became  pupils  in  the  boarding  school.  Of  the  theo- 
logical students  Dr.  Pratt  wrote :  "It  would  be  hard  to  find 
a  finer  lot  of  young  men  for  ability  and  Christian  character. ' ' 

In  1884  the  teachers  were  Rev.  T.  D.  Christie,  Rev.  Henry 
Marden,  Rev.  L.  0.  Lee,  and  Rev.  Simon  Terzian,  and  instruc- 
tion was  given  in  Hebrew,  Greek,  Exegesis  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, Systematic  and  Pastoral  Theology,  Church  History, 
Homiletics,  Elocution,  and  Vocal  Music.  To  help  meet  the 


THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOLS  243 

financial  wants  of  the  seminary  and  to  express  their  apprecia- 
tion, the  Protestant  community  of  Marash  gave  to  the  board 
of  managers,  one-half  of  whom  were  chosen  from  the  native 
brethren,  the  sum  of  400  Turkish  pounds  ($1,760).  Dr.  L.  0. 
Lee  was  connected  with  the  seminary  for  28  years.  For  most 
of  this  period  he  was  the  instructor  in  theology,  giving  his 
lectures  in  English.  A  devout  believer,  an  able  scholar,  an 
enthusiast  in  his  work,  Dr.  Lee  set  men  to  thinking  and  to 
assure  themselves  as  to  what  they  believed  and  why.  His 
memory  will  ever  be  cherished  with  love  and  esteem  both  by 
his  students  and  by  all  native  friends.  Even  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  seminary  would  be  deficient  without  mention  of  Rev. 
Simon  Terzian.  Other  instructors  came  and  went,  but  for 
most  of  the  long  period  since  the  seminary  was  opened  (1866) 
until  now  (1915),  Mr.  Terzian  has  been  the  one  permanent 
fixture.  A  modest  and  capable  min,  a  diligent  student  and 
expert  teacher,  loved  and  esteemed  by  his  associate  profes- 
sors, by  the  students  and  by  the  people,  even  in  old  age  Mr. 
Terzian  has  been  doing  excellent  and  highly  appreciated  work. 

In  the  massacre  of  1895  the  seminary  building,  with  a 
valuable  library  was  plundered  and  burned  by  Turkish  sol- 
diers. One  student  lost  his  life  and  another  was  severely 
wounded.  The  property  loss  was  over  $12,000.  Part  of  this 
loss  was  recovered  from  the  Turkish  government,  and  a  new 
and  better  seminary  building  was  erected.  Moreover,  under 
the  efficient  management  of  Dr.  Lee,  the  library  was  more 
than  restored,  and  is  now  housed  in  a  separate  building  of 
its  own.  A  part  of  the  indemnity  also,  namely  $1,500,  was 
permanently  set  aside,  and  the  interest  is  devoted  to  the  im- 
provement of  the  library. 

One  week  after  the  massacre  instruction  of  the  students 
was  resumed  in  the  houses  of  the  missionaries.  In  the  mas- 
sacre of  1909,  in  Adana  and  throughout  a  large  section  of  the 
Central  Turkey  field  about  20,000  Armenians  were  killed. 
Among  the  dead  were  20  pastors  and  preachers,  or  about 


244  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

one-half  of  the  ordained  preachers  in  the  Central  Turkey 
Mission.  Fourteen  of  these  men  had  studied  in  the  theologi- 
cal seminary.  One  of  the  martyrs  was  the  beloved  pastor  of 
one  of  the  Marash  churches,  and  another  was  Professor  Sarkis 
Levonian,  who  had  studied  in  the  Yale  Scientific  School  and 
in  the  University  of  Basel,  Switzerland,  and  for  31  years  was 
a  teacher  in  the  Central  Turkey  College.  Among  the  dead 
there  were  also  350  men  from  Marash,  who  had  found  employ- 
ment in  the  fields  of  the  rich  plain  of  Cilicia.  Throughout 
the  province  the  Armenian  villages  and  towns  were  looted 
and  burned,  involving  the  destruction  of  many  Protestant 
chapels  and  schools,  and  the  reducing  of  the  people  to  beg- 
gary. It  is  most  remarkable  how  faith  in  God  saved  the 
people  from  utter  despair  and  stimulated  them  to  make  a  new 
effort  to  live. 

Crippled  from  the  beginning  by  lack  of  men  and  means, 
and  by  many  changes  occurring  from  time  to  time  both  in  the 
faculty  and  in  the  curriculum  of  study,  the  theological  semi- 
nary has  continued  its  work  with  success,  and  has  prepared 
for  the  ministry  more  men  than  any  other  seminary  in  Tur- 
key. At  the  present  time  (1915)  the  faculty  consists  of  two 
American  and  two  Armenian  professors,  and  enjoys  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  the  churches.  Since  1885  the  semi- 
nary has  received  as  regular  students  only  college  graduates. 
It  has  been  preeminently  a  Biblical  institution,  first  drilling 
the  students  in  the  original  languages  of  the  Scriptures  and 
then  taking  them  through  a  thorough  course  in  Biblical  exe- 
gesis, Biblical  history,  and  Biblical  theology.  It  has  provided 
for  the  churches  of  the  Central  Turkey  Mission  a  body  of 
able,  well-instructed  and  efficient  ministers,  who,  under  God, 
have  reaped  a  success  hardly  equalled  in  the  other  missions  of 
Turkey.  In  spite  of  losses  by  massacre  and  emigration,  in 
1913  the  Central  Turkey  Mission  reported  44  preachers,  37 
churches,  with  6,664  members  and  22,701  adherents,  77  Sun- 
day schools  with  13,851  pupils,  and  291  school  teachers,  with 


THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOLS  245 

8,273  students,  arid  gifts  of  the  people  for  religious,  educa- 
tional and  benevolent  objects  amounting  to  $50,336.  Such 
was  the  fruit  in  60  years  of  able  native  workers,  aided  by  a 
few  missionaries. 

In  1890  the  author  attended  for  10  days  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Cilicia  Evangelical  Union.  There  were  present 
50  pastors  and  delegates,  representing  35  churches,  several 
professors  of  the  Central  Turkey  College  and  five  mission- 
aries. Several  carefully  prepared  papers  were  read,  and 
there  were  able  and  animated  discussions  on  doctrine,  polity, 
and  practical  questions.  The  author  was  greatly  impressed 
and  gratified  with  the  broad  and  sane  views  expressed,  the 
style  of  address  and  argument,  and  the  just  and  wise  conclu- 
sions of  the  speakers,  and  felt  that  the  cause  of  Christ  in 
Turkey  would  not  lack  witnesses,  faithful  even  unto  death. 

It  is  a  happy  circumstance  that  among  the  students  of  the 
seminary  there  have  been  not  a  few  Gregorians  who  have 
taken  the  regular  course  of  study,  some  of  whom  have 
entered  the  priesthood.  It  is  proof  of  the  wonderful  change 
in  public  sentiment,  that  men  educated  in  a  Protestant  semi- 
nary have  found  a  welcome  in  the  old  churches.  These  men 
have  learned  the  Bible  well,  and  have  been,  we  trust,  God's 
agents  in  helping  to  introduce  the  Gospel  leaven  into  the 
Oriental  lump. 

As  the  language  of  the  Mardin  field  is  Arabic,  the  mission- 
aries of  that  station  have  not  been  able  to  avail  themselves 
of  Marash  seminary,  and  have  established  their  own  training 
school  for  theological  students.  On  account  of  the  extreme 
poverty  of  the  people  and  the  large  Moslem  element,  the  work 
in  the  Mardin  field  has  been  immensely  difficult,  but  in  the 
character  of  its  missionaries  and  in  its  native  laborers  the 
station  has  been  greatly  blessed. 

The  project  of  one  theological  seminary  for  all  the  missions 
in  Turkey,  with  such  a  faculty  of  men,  missionary  and  native, 
as  would  command  universal  respect — such  a  project  has 


246  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

been  discussed  for  many  years  both  in  the  missionary  stations 
and  in  special  conferences.  Indeed,  a  carefully  elaborated 
plan  has  been  prepared  once  or  twice.  It  has  been  felt  by 
all  Christian  workers  in  Turkey  that  the  faculties  of  existing 
seminaries  were  too  small,  their  libraries  too  meager,  and 
their  general  equipment  inadequate.  At  the  same  time, 
existing  seminaries,  by  the  fruit  of  their  work,  have  proved 
their  right  to  live.  Not  only  Bebek  Seminary  (1840-1860) 
but  also  those  established  in  the  interior  have  furnished  able 
and  well  instructed  preachers,  and  some  of  the  best  men  have 
had  the  opportunity  to  supplement  their  early  instruction  by 
a  longer  or  shorter  period  in  the  seminaries  of  Europe  and 
America.  The  great  need  of  Turkey  is,  not  merely  a  few 
highly  educated  preachers  for  city  churches,  but  a  large  num- 
ber of  ministers,  fairly  educated  and  ready  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  the  towns  and  villages  on  small  salaries.  In  all 
discussions  hitherto,  the  great  difficulty  has  been  to  find  the 
large  sum  of  money  necessary  to  found  and  maintain  a  central 
seminary  in  Constantinople,  or  elsewhere.  Clearly,  the 
American  Board  could  not  be  expected  to  furnish  such  a  sum. 
The  general  consensus  of  opinion  would  seem  to  be  that  at 
present  the  best  possible  solution  is  to  strengthen  the  existing 
seminaries,  consolidating  the  four  into  two,  if  possible. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  BALKAN  MISSION 

THE  Mission  of  the  American  Board  to  European  Turkey, 
established  in  1858,  has  engaged  the  services  of  many  able 
and  devoted  men  and  women. 

Dr.  Elias  Riggs,  aided  by  Dr.  Albert  L.  Long,  of  the  Ameri- 
can Methodist  Mission,  and  by  Messrs.  Slovaikoff  and  Setch- 
anoff,  two  able  Bulgarian  scholars,  gave  to  the  people  the 
modern  Bulgarian  Bible.  Dr.  Riggs  devoted  also  the  last  20 
years  of  his  life  entirely  to  literary  work  for  the  Bulgarians. 

Dr.  Theodore  L.  Byington,  who,  after  making  a  tour 
through  Bulgaria  in  1859  in  company  with  Dr.  Riggs,  was 
stationed  at  Eski  Zaghra,  now  Star  a  Zagora,  for  seven  years, 
and,  as  editor  of  the  Zornitza,  at  Constantinople  for  11  years, 
was  a  man  of  unusual  ability  and  greatly  beloved.  By  his 
preaching  and  his  pen  he  made  a  profound  impression  on 
the  Bulgarian  people. 

With  these  men  were  associated  the  indefatigable  and  self- 
sacrificing  worker,  preacher  of  righteousness  and  temper- 
ance, Dr.  J.  F.  Clarke,  now  in  his  84th  year;  the  lamented 
Merriam,  a  man  of  great  promise,  killed  by  robbers  in  1862; 
Rev.  C.  F.  Morse,  an  adept  in  the  Bulgarian  language;  Dr. 
Henry  C.  Haskell,  eminently  fitted  by  character  and  train- 
ing to  preach  the  gospel  and  prepare  young  men  for  the 
ministry;  Dr.  George  D.  Marsh,  a  zealous  and  self-sacrificing 
worker  for  40  years,  and  others,  many  of  whom  are  still  in 
active  service. 

These  men  saw  Bulgaria  changed  from  a  backward,  lifeless, 
and  poverty-stricken  province  of  Turkey,  into  a  well-gov- 

247 


248  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

erned,  enterprising,  and  hopeful  kingdom ;  witness  the  change 
of  Sofia  from  a  dirty,  straggling  village  into  the  present 
beautiful  capital  with  105,000  inhabitants  as  a  symbol  of  the 
general  transformation.  They  saw  roads  built,  agriculture 
encouraged,  a  good  system  of  education  established,  and  lib- 
erty assured.  They  saw  the  beginning  of  a  moral  and  spirit- 
ual reformation  and  a  new  intellectual  life.  In  1913  the 
Balkan  Mission  included  38  missionaries,  95  native  laborers, 
including  31  pastors  and  preachers  and  44  teachers,  26 
evangelical  churches  with  1,457  members  and  4,340  adher- 
ents, one  collegiate  and  theological  school  with  93  students, 
four  boarding  and  high  schools  with  256  students,  and  18 
other  schools  with  430  students.  These  figures  represent  the 
evangelical  body,  but  do  not  indicate  the  changed  sentiment 
of  many  of  the  Balkan  people  in  regard  to  toleration  and 
education  and  many  moral  and  religious  subjects. 

In  bringing  about  this  changed  sentiment  the  first  agent 
was  the  Bulgarian  Bible  in  the  vernacular,  which  found  an 
extensive  sale  among  the  people.  The  second  agency,  here 
as  elsewhere,  was  the  Christian  school.  Comparatively  few 
Bulgarians  have  come  to  the  Protestant  chapels  to  hear  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  but  many  have  been  glad  to  send 
their  sons  and  daughters  to  the  missionary  schools.  Here 
the  rising  generation  has  received  such  Biblical  and  religious 
instruction  as  they  could  get  nowhere  else. 

THE  COLLEGIATE  AND  THEOLOGICAL  INSTITUTE 

In  the  educational  work  the  chief  agency  has  been  the 
Collegiate  and  Theological  Institute,  located  at  Samokov. 
This  city,  of  10,000  inhabitants,  is  situated  on  a  plain  3,600 
feet  above  sea  level,  surrounded  by  hills  and  mountains,  35 
miles  south  of  Sofia,  the  capital,  and  20  miles  from  the  line 
of  railway  running  from  Constantinople  to  Vienna.  The  air, 
always  fresh  and  pure,  is  delightfully  cool  even  in  summer, 


THE  BALKAN  MISSION  249 

and  abundant  water  flows  down  from  the  mountains.  The 
first  high  school  for  boys,  established  at  Philippopolis  from 
1861  to  1869,  was  removed  to  Samokov  in  1872,  and  up  to 
the  present  time  this  city  has  been  the  chief  educational  and 
literary  center  of  the  Balkan  Mission.  Rev.  J.  F.  Clarke  was 
principal  of  the  school  until  1878;  Rev.  J.  H.  House  until 
1890;  Rev.  H.  C.  Haskell  until  1898;  Rev.  Robert  Thomson 
until  1904,  and  Rev.  L.  F.  Ostrander  until  now  (1915). 
Owing  to  the  lack  of  text-books  in  the  Bulgarian  language 
the  first  teachers  of  the  high  school  prepared  books  on  arith- 
metic, algebra,  geometry,  anatomy,  physiology,  astronomy, 
and  moral  philosophy,  and  a  Bulgarian  publisher  printed  the 
same.  Almost  all  of  these  books  were  introduced  into  the 
national  Bulgarian  schools.  Other  school  books  were  after- 
wards published.  In  1880  the  name  of  the  school  was 
changed  to  the  "Collegiate  and  Theological  Institute,"  and 
shortly  afterwards  the  curriculum  was  enlarged  to  include 
a  scientific  course  of  five  years  and  one  additional  year  for 
those  who  wished  to  enter  the  ministry.  The  Institute  has 
applied  for  no  American  charter  as  a  college,  but  for  the 
past  37  years  has  prospered  under  the  protection  of  free 
Bulgaria.  It  has  also  received  no  large  bequests,  but  with 
scant  help  from  the  American  Board  and  with  funds  re- 
ceived from  the  students  it  has  accomplished  a  large  work. 
In  1885  an  industrial  and  printing  department  was  opened, 
and  since  1898  the  entire  publication  work  of  the  European 
Turkey  Mission  has  been  done  by  the  students,  under  the 
careful  direction  of  Rev.  Robert  Thomson.  Up  to  1915  about 
1,000  young  men  had  received  their  education  in  whole  or  in 
part  in  this  school.  Under  the  able  management  of  Mr. 
Ostrander,  assisted  by  Rev.  R.  Thomson,  Rev.  J.  W.  Baird, 
and  Rev.  R.  H.  Markham,  and  by  10  Bulgarian  teachers,  the 
school  has  had  a  steady  growth,  and  has  been  distinguished 
both  for  intellectual  work  and  for  moral  and  religious  culture. 
In  a  letter  dated  January,  1863,  Mr.  Clarke,  the  first  princi- 


250  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

pal,  wrote  as  follows:  "The  first  purpose  of  the  school  is 
to  lead  the  students  to  Christ  and  insure  their  growth  in 
grace.  The  second  purpose  is  to  make  them  independent, 
thoughtful,  self-reliant  men.  They  must  learn  to  think  for 
themselves."  The  purpose  thus  announced  has  ever  been 
adhered  to,  and  the  blessing  of  God  has  rested  on  the  school. 
The  Bulgarian  government  has  developed  a  complete  educa- 
tional system,  but  the  training  has  been  on  secular  and  in- 
tellectual lines,  and  has  had  little  or  no  relation  to  the  moral 
and  religious  life  of  the  students.  Hence,  in  the  national 
schools,  among  both  teachers  and  students,  unbelief  has  be- 
come wide-spread,  morality  has  suffered,  and  the  Bulgarian 
church  has  had  little  spiritual  influence.  In  fact,  learning, 
divorced  from  morality  and  religion,  threatens  to  be  the  bane 
of  Bulgaria.  It  has  well  been  said  that  the  only  two  institu- 
tions of  a  high  grade  open  to  Bulgarian  young  men,  which 
combine  intellectual  training  and  moral  and  religious  culture, 
are  Robert  College,  of  Constantinople,  and  the  American 
Institute  at  Samokov.  Bulgarian  schools  have  developed 
patriotism,  and  have  taught  the  people  the  slogan  "  Learning 
and  Nationalism,"  but  learning  without  the  knowledge  and 
love  of  God  will  never  assure  a  nation's  life.  God  grant  that 
the  Bulgarian  people  may  learn  this  truth  ere  it  be  too  late ! 
The  theological  department  of  the  Institute,  under  the 
instruction  of  Dr.  House,  Dr.  Haskell,  Rev.  R.  Thomson,  and 
others,  has  introduced  into  the  ministry  between  30  and  40 
capable  and  devoted  men,  and  has  instructed  many  others, 
who  as  teachers  and  professional  or  business  men  have 
exerted  a  wide  influence  in  the  community.  Such  pastors 
as  Messrs.  Boyadjieff,  Tsanoff,  Popoff,  Setchanoff,  Furnajieff, 
and  Tsakoff,  have  been  among  the  chief  agents  in  making 
known  the  Gospel  of  salvation  to  the  Bulgarian  people.  "Well 
trained  pastors  and  preachers,  familiar  with  the  Bible,  show- 
ing in  their  lives  and  conversation  the  power  of  the  Gospel, 


THE  BALKAN  MISSION  251 

speaking  in  their  mother  tongue  and  one  with  the  people  in 
all  their  highest  aspirations — such  men  are  God's  agents  to 
reform  and  save  the  people.  Mr.  Setchanoff,  speaking  at 
the  Jubilee  anniversary  of  the  Institute  fittingly  said :  '  *  Let 
us  then  be  grateful  to  those  whom  God  inspired  and  sent 
among  us  to  open  this  school  and  to  support  it  materially  and 
morally  during  all  this  time,  so  that  it  might  render  such  a 
great  service  to  our  nation.  It  is  indeed  true  that  we  have 
schools;  our  country  is  covered  with  primary,  secondary,  and 
advanced  institutions,  but  there  is  only  one  Christian,  evan- 
gelical, educational  school  for  young  men,  and  that  is  the 
American  Collegiate  and  Theological  Institute  at  Samokov." 

THE  GIRLS  BOARDING  SCHOOL 

This  school,  the  first  of  its  kind  in  Bulgaria,  was  opened 
in  Eski  Zagra,  in  1863,  and  for  six  years  was  under  the  care 
of  Miss  Mary  E.  Reynolds.  Born  in  Springfield,  Massachu- 
setts, she  early  devoted  herself  to  Christ  and  was  filled  with 
the  missionary  spirit.  In  1869  Miss  Reynolds,  on  account  of 
ill-health,  was  constrained  to  return  to  America,  and  Miss 
Roseltha  A.  Norcross,  of  Templeton,  Massachusetts,  assumed 
the  care  of  the  school.  Both  these  ladies,  after  a  short  but 
highly  successful  service,  died  the  same  year  (1871). 

The  first  spiritual  awakening  among  Bulgarians,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  American  missionaries,  occurred  in 
the  girls  school  while  Miss  Reynolds  was  principal.  Before 
she  had  been  on  missionary  ground  for  two  years  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  manifestly  at  work  in  the  school.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  girls  in  their  personal  experience  found  Christ  precious 
as  a  Saviour  and  with  all  the  heart  consecrated  themselves 
to  him;  in  after  years  likewise  both  as  teachers  and  wives 
they  were  his  zealous  and  faithful  witnesses.  Miss  Norcross 
also,  in  the  brief  period  of  four  years,  greatly  endeared  her- 


252  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

self  to  all  pupils  and  friends.  In  life  she  served  the  Master 
with  remarkable  efficiency  and  success,  and  in  her  last  hours 
bore  striking  testimony  to  his  love  and  saving  grace. 

In  1871  the  Girls  Boarding  School  was  removed  to  Samo- 
kov,  and  from  that  time  until  the  present  has  grown  both  in 
numbers  and  usefulness  and  spiritual  power.  In  1913  the 
pupils  numbered  104.  The  school  was  under  the  care  of 
Miss  Esther  T.  Maltbie  for  38  years,  and  no  boarding  school 
has  enjoyed  the  services  of  a  more  zealous,  devoted  and  self- 
denying  principal.  Well  could  she  say,  "I  count  myself 
happy  that  I  have  had  some  part  in  the  work  of  the  Master 
Architect  of  character."  Her  sweet  spirit  and  intellectual 
and  religious  character  made  a  profound  impression  on  a 
large  number  of  young  women,  who  acquired  in  the  school 
both  the  best  qualities  of  a  good  housewife  and  the  intellectual 
and  religious  culture  necessary  to  make  them  fit  helpmeets  for 
pastors,  teachers,  and  other  educated  men.  Seventy  of  the 
graduates  have  been  teachers  in  Protestant  and  government 
schools.  More  than  20  have  taught  in  the  Samokov  school, 
nearly  50  have  been  Bible  women,  and  23  have  taken  post- 
graduate studies  in  European  or  American  universities. 
Besides  the  graduates  more  than  1,000  others  have  been 
members  of  the  school  for  a  partial  course.  In  1913  the 
whole  number  of  teachers  was  19,  of  whom  15  were  Bulgarians 
and  four  Americans.  Among  the  latter  were  two  daughters 
of  missionaries,  Miss  Mary  M.  Haskell  and  Miss  Agnes  M. 
Baird,  who  for  years  rendered  most  excellent  service.  Since 
1908  Miss  Inez  L.  Abbott  has  filled  the  place  of  principal,  to 
the  great  satisfaction  of  all. 

Last  but  not  least  in  the  educational  system,  15  years  ago  a 
Kindergarten  school,  first  started  at  Samokov,  was  opened  in 
Sofia  under  the  care  of  Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Clarke,  which  has 
given  great  satisfaction,  and  has  won  the  confidence  and 
support  both  of  the  people  and  of  the  beloved  Queen  Eleonora. 

The  Balkan  Mission,  as  it  is  now  called,  embraces  not  only 


THE  BALKAN  MISSION  253 

the  stations  of  Samokov,  Sofia,  and  Philippopolis  in  Bulgaria, 
but  also  Salonica  and  Monastir.  Salonica  has  one  unique 
institution,  called 

THE  THESSALONICA  AGRICULTURAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  INSTITUTE 

The  Institute  is  under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  J.  H.  House, 
a  missionary  of  the  American  Board  since  1872.  The  purpose 
of  those  who  founded  the  school,  Dr.  House  and  Dr.  Edward 
B.  Haskell,  is  thus  stated  in  an  official  report:  "The  object 
of  the  institution  is  to  give  to  Macedonian  boys  an  ideal  edu- 
cation, which  shall  include  industrial  along  with  spiritual 
and  mental  training,  the  chief  aim  being  character  building. 
The  school  is  inter-denominational,  and  is  supported  by  the 
voluntary  contributions  of  people  of  various  nationalities, 
who  are  interested  in  the  uplifting  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
historic  and  interesting  province/'  The  Institute  was  in- 
corporated in  1904  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
It  is  independent  of  the  Mission,  and  has  a  Board  of  Trustees 
in  America,  by  whose  assistance,  on  a  beautiful  site  overlook- 
ing the^Egean  Sea,  three  miles  from  Salonica,  76  acres  of  land 
have  been  purchased  and  necessary  buildings  have  been 
erected.  The  Institute  has  received  favorable  notice,  first 
from  the  Turkish  and  now  from  the  Greek  government,  and 
has  been  visited  not  only  by  Greek  and  Bulgarian  gentlemen, 
but  also  by  distinguished  foreigners,  among  whom  were 
Honorable  Oscar  S.  Straus,  the  ambassador  of  the  United 
States  at  the  Sublime  Porte,  and  Mr.  Charles  R.  Crane,  of 
Chicago.  During  the  Balkan  war  of  1912  the  grounds  and 
property  of  the  Institute  were  respected  by  all  parties.  Un- 
der excellent  moral  and  religious  influences  the  Institute  gives 
instruction  in  such  studies  as  are  usually  taught  in  a  high 
school,  and  at  the  same  time  trains  the  students  in  various 
forms  of  industry,  especially  in  scientific  farming.  The  pur- 
pose is  to  make  the  Institute  self-supporting  as  soon  as  pos- 


254  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

sible.  In  the  period  from  January  1,  1910,  to  June  30,  1911, 
the  receipts  from  farm  products  and  from  carpentry,  tailor- 
ing, shoe  making  and  silk  culture  amounted  to  $2,442.68,  and 
in  the  same  period  the  contributions  from  friends,  foreign 
and  native,  amounted  to  $13,672.  During  this  period  the 
whole  number  of  students  was  57.  In  short,  the  Institute 
promises  to  secure  both  the  intellectual  and  industrial  train- 
ing of  young  men,  to  show  them  that  manual  labor  is  honor- 
able, and  that  the  betterment  of  the  whole  people  requires 
improvement  according  to  scientific  methods  both  in  agricul- 
ture and  in  industrial  pursuits.  The  Institute  has  been 
highly  favored  by  some  of  its  friends,  especially  by  Dr.  L.  T. 
Chamberlain,  long  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  who, 
besides  previous  gifts,  in  1913  left  to  the  school  a  generous 
bequest.  May  God  grant  his  guidance  and  blessing  to  this 
new  undertaking. 

The  Treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  is  Mr.  W.  B. 
Isham,  27  Williams  Street,  New  York. 

THE  GIRLS  BOARDING  SCHOOL  AT  MONASTIR 

Some  100  miles  northwest  of  Salonica  is  the  beautiful  city 
of  Monastir,  2,000  feet  above  sea  level,  on  a  plain  surrounded 
by  mountains,  with  a  mixed  population  of  over  50,000.  This 
city  became  a  station  of  the  European  Turkey  Mission  in 
1873,  and  here  and  in  various  places  in  the  province  the 
evangelistic  work  has  been  carried  forward  by  Messrs.  Jenney, 
Baird,  Bond,  and  Clarke  with  zeal  and  success.  The  Girls 
Boarding  School  was  opened  in  1878  under  the  care  of  Mrs. 
Jenney.  From  1884  until  the  present  time  the  school  has 
been  under  the  wise  and  efficient  administration  of  the  Misses 
Cole,  Matthews  and  Davis,  aided  by  devoted  native  teachers, 
one  of  whom,  Miss  Eada  Pavleva,  has  served  the  school  with 
indefatigable  zeal  for  more  than  25  years.  After  the  cap- 
ture of  the  city  by  the  Servians  in  1912  the  use  of  the  Bui- 


JAMES    F.    CLARK 


ELLEN    M.    STONE 


J.    HENRY   HOUSE 


W.    W.    PEET 


GEORGE  D.  MARSH 
BALKAN  MISSION 


HENRY    C.    HASKELL 


E.    T.    MALTBIE 


THE  BALKAN  MISSION  255 

garian  language  in  the  school  was  forbidden,  though  in  the 
church  services  it  was  permitted,  but  the  school  language 
was  and  is  English.  A  Servian  lady,  supported  by  the  gov- 
ernment, gave  instruction  in  the  Servian  language.  In  1913 
there  was  a  faculty  of  10,  including  two  missionary  teachers, 
and  there  were  115  pupils.  A  boys'  department  was  opened 
in  1912,  which  two  years  later  had  69  pupils.  Forty-four  of 
the  graduates  have  taught  in  the  mission  schools. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  SATISFACTIONS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY 
CAREER 

IN  the  first  year  of  my  missionary  life  I  began  to  preach 
in  the  Armenian,  and  in  the  third  year  in  the  Turkish,  lan- 
guage, and  during  all  my  life  in  Turkey  I  was  a  preaching 
missionary,  in  close  touch  with  the  people.  Thus,  from  a  long 
and  varied  experience  I  wish  to  testify  in  regard  to  the  rich 
and  abiding  satisfactions  of  the  missionary  career.  Right 
glad  should  I  be  to  have  again  the  same  opportunities  of 
service,  and  live  life  over  again,  with  certain  improvements. 

What  then  are  the  satisfactions  of  the  missionary  career  ? 

First  of  all,  it  is  a  satisfaction  that  missionaries  are,  gener- 
ally, long-lived. 

They  go  to  foreign  lands,  not  to  die  early,  but  to  live  long, 
and  to  labor  with  ever-increasing  usefulness.  Of  the  24  mis- 
sionaries who  went  to  Turkey  between  1830  and  1840,  includ- 
ing 11  wives  and  two  unmarried  ladies,  11  men  and  women 
died  after  a  comparatively  brief  service,  but  the  average  age 
of  the  remaining  13  was  76  years.  Dr.  Elias  Riggs  beat  all 
records,  dying  over  90  years  of  age,  after  69  years  of  service. 
In  the  Board  Almanac  of  1911  there  are  given  the  names 
of  185  missionaries,  married  and  unmarried,  connected  with 
the  four  Turkey  missions.  The  average  length  of  service  of 
56  of  these  missionaries,  up  to  1911,  was  a  little  over  36  years ; 
24  of  these  56  missionaries  served  40  years,  and  five  of  them 
served  over  50  years.  In  the  other  missions  of  the  Board 
the  record  of  longevity  has  been  good.  Of  the  names  now  on 
the  list  (1915)  the  missionary  who  has  served  longest 

256 


SATISFACTIONS  OF  MISSIONARY  CAEEEE    257 

is  Rev.  James  F.  Clarke,  D.D.,  of  the  Balkan  mission,  who 
has  given  56  years.  In  India  there  are  two  who  have  served 
the  Board  over  40  years,  and  in  China  five.  In  the  Japan 
mission  20  have  served,  eacn,  nearly  30  years,  and  several 
of  these  20  have  served  nearly  40  years.  These  facts  show 
that,  while  in  missionary  lands  there  are  great  differences  of 
climate,  nowhere  is  the  climate  specially  injurious  to  health. 
Starting  with  a  good  stomach  (which  is  the  first  qualification 
of  a  good  missionary),  with  a  mind  that  is  free  from  worry 
and  lends  itself  to  sleep,  and  with  a  clean  conscience,  only 
good  common  sense  is  necessary  to  prolong  life.  There  are 
mysterious  providences  which  none  can  foresee  or  fathom, 
but,  ordinarily,  life  is  prolonged  when  one  adjusts  himself  to 
the  climate  and  labors  to  such  an  extent  and  in  such  ways  as 
health  will  allow.  Missionaries  have  no  right  to  die  early. 
They  owe  it  to  the  Christian  people  who  send  them  out,  and 
to  the  Master  who  has  called  them  to  the  service,  so  to  order 
their  diet  and  work  and  recreation  as  to  live  long.  Think  of 
a  man  or  woman,  crossing  the  ocean,  spending  two  or  three 
years  to  acquire  a  new  language,  and  then,  with  little  or 
nothing  accomplished,  dying!  It  does  not  pay!  It  is  not 
the  Master's  will.  Many  missionaries  die,  or  are  incapaci- 
tated, not  because  God  decrees  it,  but  because  they  are  not 
wise  and  discreet  in  the  care  of  their  health. 

Again,  it  is  a  satisfaction  that  the  Board  allows  its  mission- 
aries a  generous  support. 

In  places  where  good  houses  cannot  be  obtained,  the  Board 
builds  a  comfortable  house  for  each  missionary  family,  and 
charges  but  a  moderate  rent.  It  gives  a  salary  which  enables 
the  missionary  to  make  all  necessary  provision  for  the  health 
and  comfort  of  himself  and  family.  It  makes  such  allow- 
ances for  children  as  will  enable  parents  to  give  them  a  lib- 
eral education.  These  allowances,  of  course,  need  to  be  sup- 
plemented by  aid  from  parents  and  by  the  efforts  of  the  chil- 
dren themselves.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  Board  does 


258  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

not  provide  for  extravagance  or  luxury,  but  in  the  matter 
of  outfit,  salary,  allowance  for  children  and  for  furloughs 
the  Board  does  mean  to  save  its  missionaries  from  anxiety 
and  worry.  Every  family's  domestic  economy  is  peculiar  to 
itself,  but  from  long  experience  I  can  say  that  with  ordinary 
care  every  missionary  family  ought  to  make  both  ends  meet 
without  difficulty;  otherwise  there  must  be  a  screw  loose 
somewhere.  Now,  think  what  it  means  to  be  free  from  worry 
in  regard  to  a  decent  support  through  life !  Is  not  this  a 
great  compensation,  for  which  praise  is  due  to  God?  Such 
has  always  been  my  feeling,  especially  when  I  have  heard  how 
many  pastors  in  America  have,  in  the  matter  of  support,  a 
hard  time.  In  dealing  generously  with  her  missionaries  the 
Board  is  eminently  wise.  The  trials  of  missionaries  are  quite 
sufficient  without  worrying  in  regard  to  the  means  of  support 
or  the  dead  line  of  fifty !  Let  me  add  that  even  with  its  aged 
missionaries,  no  longer  fit  for  foreign  service,  the  Board  deals 
generously. 

Again,  it  is  a  satisfaction  that  in  the  officers  of  the  Board 
and  in  its  Prudential  Committee  the  missionaries  have  men 
with  whom  they  are  glad  to  maintain  official  relations. 

It  has  been  a  joy  all  my  life  that  I  have  had  to  do  with 
such  wise,  considerate  and  generous  foreign  secretaries  as 
Anderson,  Clark,  Smith,  and  Barton,  and  with  a  Prudential 
Committee,  often  changed,  but  always  composed  of  level- 
headed, broad-minded,  Christ-loving  men.  Judging  from  the 
past,  I  assure  our  young  missionaries  that  they  will  always 
receive  the  most  considerate  and  generous  treatment  from 
the  officers  of  the  Board.  Though  they  have  but  a  limited 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  officers,  and  though  they  will 
be  separated  from  them  by  thousands  of  miles,  the  officer* 
of  the  Board  will  never  fail  to  support  the  work  to  the  utmot. 
extent  of  their  ability.  They  represent  the  American 
churches,  and  will  do  all  they  can  to  make  known  to  the 
churches  the  work  and  its  needs.  Every  year  they  make  ap- 


SATISFACTIONS  OF  MISSIONARY  CAREER     259 

propriations  in  advance  of  receipts,  but  thus  far  their  trust  in 
God  and  in  the  churches  has  never  been  disappointed.  With 
both  missionaries  and  officers  it  is  a  work  of  faith,  but  the 
bank  of  God  never  fails. 

To  young  missionaries  I  presume  to  say :  Keep  well  within 
the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Board — rules  and  regulations 
which  are  the  fruit  of  long  experience — and  you  will  find 
no  occasion  to  complain.  In  their  dealings  both  with  indi- 
vidual missionaries  and  with  the  body  of  men  and  women 
who  constitute  a  mission,  the  officers  of  the  Board  are  not 
dictatorial,  harsh  or  inquisitive,  but,  on  the  contrary,  are 
truly  sympathetic  and  friendly.  They  give  to  the  mission- 
aries full  and  hearty  confidence,  and,  in  return,  they  right- 
fully expect  that  the  missionaries  will  give  to  the  work  con- 
scientious and  whole-hearted  devotion,  will  not  fritter  away 
their  time  with  undue  attention  to  domestic  and  private  af- 
fairs, and  will  keep  themselves  from  every  form  of  secular 
business  and  worldly  entanglement.  Where  men  are  their 
own  masters  and  sometimes  are  not  under  such  pressure  as 
the  busy  pastors  at  home,  it  is  easy  to  waste  precious  time 
and  come  to  the  close  of  the  day  with  little  or  nothing  to  show. 
Every  missionary  is  under  a  solemn  obligation  so  to  use  his 
time,  so  to  learn  the  language  of  the  people  to  whom  he  is 
sent,  and  so  to  order  his  life,  as  to  keep  a  good  conscience 
and  win  the  commendation  of  missionary  associates  and  the 
native  people.  On  his  thus  doing  hangs  his  influence  and 
usefulness.  The  people  know  well  what  the  business  of  a 
missionary  is,  and  no  missionary  can  win  respect  and  con- 
fidence unless  faithful  to  duty.  In  short,  the  generous  treat- 
ment of  the  Board  and  of  the  churches,  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  the  missionaries,  the  love  bestowed  on  them,  and  the 
prayers  offered  for  them — all  these  considerations  call  for 
hearty  and  conscientious  devotion  to  the  work. 

Let  me  add  that  it  is  not  wise  to  lend  money  to  native 
friends.  To  establish  between  them  and  yourself  the  relation 


260  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

of  debtor  and  creditor  robs  you  of  your  freedom  of  approach 
and  counsel,  and  to  dun  your  native  brother  for  debt  is  not 
agreeable.  In  case  of  need,  give  outright,  after  examination, 
whatever  your  means  allow,  and  thus  maintain  a  friendly  re- 
lation with  all  men. 

Again,  it  is  a  satisfaction  that  the  Board  makes  each  mis- 
sion a  self-governing  body. 

This  is  both  democratic  justice  and  wise  policy.  In  its 
annual  meeting  the  mission  locates  new  missionaries  (often 
in  accordance  with  an  understanding  previously  had  with  the 
officers  of  the  Board),  composes  differences  between  mission- 
ary brethren,  considers  with  care  every  question,  whether 
evangelistic,  literary,  educational  or  medical,  and  prepares 
estimates  of  moneys  needed  for  existing  work  and  for  new 
work.  Its  requests  touching  all  expenditure,  touching  spe- 
cial grants  for  old  missionaries  and  touching  the  needs  of 
new  missionaries,  receive  careful  consideration  from  the  of- 
ficers of  the  Board,  and,  in  general,  deference  is  paid  to  the 
views  and  requests  of  the  mission.  In  annual  meeting  the 
missionaries  become  acquainted  with  one  another,  in  the  in- 
terchange of  hospitality  and  in  social  and  devotional  meetings 
their  spirits  are  refreshed,  and  by  means  of  what  is  called 
the  mission  church,  opportunity  is  afforded  for  receiving  into 
church-membership  the  children  of  missionaries. 

Again,  it  is  a  satisfaction  that  missionaries  have  an  un- 
usual and  happy  fellowship  with  their  own  children. 

The  missionary  home  is  the  playground,  the  day  school,  the 
Sunday  school  and  the  church  of  the  children.  There,  in 
the  early  years  of  life,  the  mother  and  the  father  are  both 
the  companions  and  the  teachers  of  their  children.  There 
the  children  are  protected  from  many  vicious  habits,  learn  a 
decent  use  of  the  English  language,  and  are  saved  from  the 
slang,  the  profanity,  the  vulgarities,  and  the  harmful  sights 
and  shows  to  which  children  in  America  are  often  exposed. 
In  the  missionary  home  the  children  are  early  taught  to  dis- 


SATISFACTIONS  OF  MISSIONARY  CAREER     261 

tinguish  between  right  and  wrong,  are  taught  to  make  moral 
distinctions  for  themselves,  and  learn  both  to  love  God  their 
Father  and  Jesus  their  Saviour  and  to  pray.  Thus  a  moral 
character,  based  on  the  fear  of  God  and  the  love  of  man,  is 
developed.  Thus  the  way  is  prepared  for  the  inevitable  sep- 
aration, when  the  children,  from  12  to  14  years  of  age,  are 
sent  to  America  for  education.  This  is  the  great  trial  of  the 
missionary  family,  but  there  is  consolation  in  the  fact  that 
the  foundation  of  moral  and  religious  character  has  been 
laid,  and  that  the  children  of  believing  parents  are  heirs  to 
the  special  grace  of  a  covenant-keeping  God.  The  children 
of  missionaries  are  not  born  saints  or  angels,  but  observation 
shows  that  generally  they  grow  up  to  be  an  honor  to  their 
parents  and  a  blessing  to  the  world.  Not  a  few  of  the  best 
missionaries  in  Turkey  are  the  children  and  the  grandchil- 
dren of  missionary  parents. 

Again,  it  is  a  satisfaction  that  the  missionary  is  devoted  to 
the  service  of  his  fellow-men. 

If  there  is  a  really  unselfish  life  in  this  world,  it  is  that  of 
the  true  missionary.  He  seeks  for  himself  neither  the  wealth, 
the  honors,  or  the  pleasures  of  the  world.  His  object  is  to 
promote  the  highest  good  of  his  fellow-men.  He  believes 
that  there  is  no  human  being  so  low  that  he  cannot  be  en- 
lightened, elevated,  and  saved  by  the  knowledge  of  the  love 
of  God,  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  by  the 
working  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  loves  every  creature  made 
in  the  image  of  God,  and  seeks  both  the  present  well-being 
and  the  eternal  salvation  of  every  man.  No  heart  can  long 
withstand  true  kindness  and  unselfish  devotion.  The  mis- 
sionary wins  confidence  and  gains  a  hearing,  first  of  all,  by 
his  own  kind  deeds  and  pure  life;  then  he  enlightens  the 
mind,  persuades  the  heart  and  leads  the  way  to  the  Lamb 
of  God.  Conversion  promotes  the  present  well-being  of  the 
converted  man,  purifies  and  elevates  his  home  and  makes  him 
a  blessing  to  the  community.  Conversion  prepares  honest 


262  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

and  trustworthy  men  for  the  civil  service,  and  thus  ensures 
the  welfare  of  the  state.  In  short,  the  Gospel  of  Christ  is 
the  panacea  of  all  human  ills.  It  is  the  end  that  tells,  and 
what  other  possible  use  of  life  can  yield  the  satisfaction 
which  comes  from  a  life  spent  in  promoting  the  highest 
interests  of  numan  society  and  the  eternal  welfare  of  one's 
fellows  ? 

Finally,  it  is  a  satisfaction,  beyond  all  words  to  express,  to 
be  engaged  in  the  very  work  which  occupies  the  heart  of  God. 

The  missionary  is  honored  to  be  God's  co-worker.  He  is 
called  and  commissioned  by  God  to  do  his  work  on  earth. 
The  salvation  of  lost  men  is  absolutely  God's  work.  The 
thought  of  salvation,  the  means  of  salvation,  the  work  of  sal- 
vation— all  are  his.  Angels  might  well  have  been  summoned 
to  help  save  a  lost  race,  but  men — men  converted  by  God's 
grace — are  God's  chosen  instruments  to  win,  enlighten,  per- 
suade, and  lead  to  Christ  their  fellow-sinners.  This  earthly 
service  is  the  Christian's  school  of  faith  and  love  and  de- 
votion. The  motive  is  the  constraining  love  of  Christ;  it  is 
a  burning  desire  to  extend  the  helping  hand  to  those  who 
are  suffering  from  ignorance,  superstition,  passion,  vice,  and 
the  whole  list  of  woes  which  follow  in  the  train  of  sin.  In 
such  a  work  the  Christian  is  one  with  the  great,  the  ineffable 
Being  who  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son  for  its  salvation.  In  such  a  work  the  Christian  is  one 
with  him,  "Who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him  endured 
the  cross,  despising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  throne  of  God."  Is  there  any  service  like  this? 
Is  there  any  fellowship  like  this?  Is  there  any  joy  like  the 
joy  of  saving  a  fellow-man,  and  making  him  who  was  rad- 
ically wrong  and  wretched,  radically  right  and  happy? 
Truly  this  is  a  divine  service,  an  angelic  service ;  it  is  heaven 
on  earth;  it  yields  a  satisfaction,  a  joy  such  as  fills  the  soul 
of  the  blessed  Saviour  himself.  Herein  is  the  growth  of  our 
spiritual  life,  the  development  of  every  Christian  virtue.  In 


SATISFACTIONS  OF  MISSIONARY  CAREER     263 

such  a  service  one  must,  like  Christ,  be  very  much  in  com- 
munion with  God.  Think  of  Christ's  intercessory  prayer  in 
the  very  shadow  of  Gethsemane.  Think  of  Livingston  dying 
on  his  knees  in  prayer  for  the  dark-skinned  Africans  about 
him.  This  is  the  way  to  follow  Christ  to  the  end  of  life 
and  to  follow  Christ  to  glory.  "Then  shall  the  righteous 
shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father. " 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  AND  MISSIONARY 
METHODS 

THE  inquiry  is  not,  What  are  some  of  the  motives  which 
have  led  Christian  men  and  women  to  enter  on  the  missionary 
work? 

The  inquiry  is,  What  is  the  motive,  the  one  great,  com- 
pelling motive  for  missionary  service  ? 

This  motive  is  found  in  the  words  of  Jesus  (Luke  19  :10)  : 
"For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
was  lost.'7 

Man  was  God's  child,  stamped  with  his  Heavenly  Father's 
image.  Leaving  the  mystery  of  evil  for  the  revelations  of 
a  future  world,  we  simply  state  the  fact  that  man  became 
estranged  from  God,  darkened  in  mind,  controlled  by  his 
animal  instincts,  brutalized.  Yet  still  he  was  God's  child, 
and  the  Infinite  Father's  love  went  forth  in  the  person  of  his 
Son  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. 

Christ  was  the  first  missionary,  Heaven's  greatest  gift  to 
earth;  and  the  motive  which  impelled  him  to  empty  himself 
of  his  divine  glory  and  to  undertake  the  stupendous  work 
of  redemption  was  love.  It  was  the  love  of  God  the  Father 
and  of  God  the  Son  to  man. 

This  same  love,  shed  abroad  in  the  hearts  of  Christian  men 
and  women  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  from  the  first  been  the 
great  impelling  motive  of  missionary  service. 

Paul  said:  "The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us."  No 
other  motive  than  perfect  sympathy  with  Christ  in  his  re- 
demptive mission  was  equal  to  the  demands  of  Paul's  de- 
voted life. 

264 


N.    TENEKEJIAN 


H.    NAHIGIAN 


M.    VORPERIAN  H.   BOUJICANIAN 

MARTYRED  PROFESSORS  OF  EUPHRATES  COLLEGE,  HARPOUT 


MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  AND  METHODS         265 

The  early  Christians  were  controlled  by  the  same  great 
motive.  Impelled  by  love  to  Christ  and  love  to  their  fellow- 
men,  they  went  everywhere  preaching  the  Gospel,  and,  in 
spite  of  all  the  bitter  persecutions  which  the  wit  and  the 
wickedness  of  heathen  Rome  could  devise,  the  early  Chris- 
tians during  the  first  three  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  won 
12,000,000  men  to  Christ. 

Even  in  the  darkest  periods  of  the  Middle  Ages  certain 
elect  souls,  like  Bernard  of  Clairvaux  and  Francis  of  As- 
sisi,  had  such  visions  of  the  love  of  God  the  Father  and  of 
God  the  Son  that  they  gave  themselves  with  indefatigable 
zeal  to  the  cultivation  of  the  spiritual  life  of  their  fellow- 
men. 

The  great  missionaries  of  modern  times,  like  Zinzendorf, 
Carey,  Morrison,  Judson,  Livingston,  and  the  men  and  women 
first  sent  by  the  American  Board  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
and  to  Turkey,  were  all  filled  with  an  intense  sympathy  with 
Christ  in  his  redemptive  work.  Nothing  less  than  an  over- 
powering love  to  God  and  man  could  have  impelled  those 
early  missionaries  to  face  every  form  of  danger,  hostility,  suf- 
fering and  death,  and  to  go  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. 

Now,  impelled  by  love  to  God  and  man,  how  did  the  first 
great  leaders  in  missions  address  themselves  to  their  work? 
One  and  all,  they  sought  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Divine  Saviour 
to  men  of  all  races  and  all  conditions  of  life,  and  by  the  Gos- 
pel story  and  their  own  Christlike  lives  to  win  men  to  Christ. 
It  was  a  work  with  individuals,  often  requiring  the  utmost 
patience  and  perseverance.  The  process  of  instruction  and 
enlightenment  was  in  some  cases  the  work  of  years.  To 
change  the  thoughts,  desires,  and  purposes  of  a  proud  Hin- 
doo, of  a  self-satisfied  Chinaman,  of  a  fanatical  Moslem,  of 
a  cannibal  African,  and  to  develop  in  such  men  what  was 
morally  and  spiritually  a  new  creature — this  was  naught  but 
the  work  of  God.  Yet  in  this  stupendous  work  the  mission- 


266  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

ary  was  God's  instrument,  and  the  early  missionaries  never 
forgot  the  ultimate  object  to  which  they  were  called  of  God. 
They  knew  well  that  to  bring  a  man  into  right  relations  to 
God  was  the  only  sure  means  to  save  the  man  from  his  sins, 
and  the  only  sure  means  to  make  religion  profitable  both  for 
the  life  that  now  is  and  for  that  which  is  to  come. 

In  bringing  about,  by  the  grace  of  God,  a  radical  change  in 
a  man's  moral  and  spiritual  character,  was  there  not  involved 
in  this  very  change  that  which  was  profitable  for  the  present 
life  as  well  as  for  that  which  is  to  come?  Was  not  he  who, 
in  Christ's  language,  was  "lost,"  saved  for  time  as  well  as 
for  eternity?  According  to  the  writers  of  the  Bible  such 
was  the  case  as  a  matter  of  course.  And  experience  confirms 
this  view. 

Both  the  early  Christians  and  the  missionaries  of  modern 
times  never  thought  of  saving  a  man,  whether  for  time  or 
eternity,  save  by  a  radical  change  in  the  man  himself. 

First  of  all,  a  radical  change  of  character  made  the  man 
a  worthy  member  of  society.  With  a  new-born  sense  of 
decency  the  man  desired  to  be  clothed.  For  the  first  time 
in  his  life  he  awoke  to  the  fact  that  he  had  wants;  that  he 
was,  in  fact,  in  need  of  something  new  and  better.  He 
sought  air  and  light  for  his  hut  or  house,  and  new  methods 
of  sanitation.  He  came  to  a  new  understanding  of  his  rela- 
tion to  his  wife  and  children,  and  apprehended,  for  the  first 
time,  the  meaning  of  a  Christian  home.  He  found  himself  a 
member  of  the  community,  and  learned  that  he  was  under 
obligation  to  promote  the  peace  and  well-being  of  society. 
He  saw  that  in  order  to  live  together  harmoniously  and 
righteously,  men  must  be  governed  by  rules  and  regulations, 
and  that  all  members  of  the  community  were  called  upon  to 
agree  as  to  what  the  rules  and  regulations  should  be.  Hav- 
ing learned  that  God  is  the  Father  of  all  his  rational  crea- 
tures, he  understood  that  all  men  were  brothers,  and  so  had, 
each,  an  equal  right  to  life  and  liberty  and  the  enjoyment 


MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  AND  METHODS         267 

of  the  fruit  of  his  labor.  Thus,  whether  among  the  savages 
of  Africa  and  of  the  Islands  of  the  Sea,  or  among  Asiatic 
peoples  who  had  inherited  the  customs  of  an  ancient  civiliza- 
tion, the  introduction  of  the  Gospel  through  missionaries  nat- 
urally and  inevitably  led  to  the  betterment  of  society. 

Education  has  always  been  the  handmaid  of  religion,  and 
one  of  the  most  valuable  agencies  of  the  missionary.  One 
of  the  first  tasks  of  not  a  few  missionaries  has  been  to  reduce 
the  language  of  a  barbarous  tribe  to  writing  and  to  teach 
the  natives  to  read.  Wherever  missionaries  have  labored, 
schools  for  both  boys  and  girls  have  been  opened  as  soon  as 
possible.  Missionaries  in  all  lands,  sooner  or  later,  have  per- 
ceived that  for  the  perpetuation  and  growth  of  any  commun- 
ity of  native  Christians,  educated  native  ministers  must  be 
prepared. 

Thus,  both  the  great  motive  to  missionary  service  and  the 
methods  of  labor  of  the  early  missionaries  have  been  briefly 
stated.  The  inquirj^  now  presents  itself:  Has  there  arisen 
in  modern  times  a  new  basis  of  missions?  Has  the  object 
of  missionary  effort  changed?  Is  there,  in  short,  a  new  mo- 
tive impelling  Christian  men  and  women  to  engage  in  the 
missionary  enterprise? 

In  reply,  it  may  be  said  that  in  recent  times  the  work  of 
missions,  like  every  other  great  social  and  religious  move- 
ment, has  experienced  a  remarkable  development  of  agencies 
and  methods.  The  past  century  has  she'd  new  light  on  many 
problems  pertaining  to  the  missionary  service.  The  mission- 
ary boards  of  all  Christian  denominations  now  see  eye  to  eye, 
and  with  harmony  and  mutual  courtesy  labor  side  by  side 
in  the  broad  field  of  the  world.  In  some  lands  some  societies 
combine  their  work  in  the  collegiate  or  the  theological  or  the 
medical  departments.  In  foreign  fields  of  labor  sectarianism 
has  largely  disappeared,  and  in  some  missions  native  churches 
are  known,  at  the  request  of  the  natives  themselves,  simply 
as  Evangelical  or  Christian  churches.  Knowledge  of  the 


268  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

great  religions  of  the  world  has  largely  increased,  and  recog- 
nition is  accorded  to  whatever  in  any  religion  is  praiseworthy 
and  profitable.  During  the  past  50  years  in  many  mission- 
ary lands  both  Christian  converts  and  non-Protestant  peo- 
ples have  demanded  a  higher  education  for  their  sons  and 
daughters  and  have  been  ready  to  make  great  sacrifices  to 
pay  for  such  education.  The  missionaries  have  been  in  a 
position  to  afford  this  higher  education,  and  in  many  places 
from  a  high  school  they  have  developed  a  college.  For  their 
colleges  the  missionaries  have  generally  secured  fine  locations 
and  suitable  buildings,  and,  in  some  cases,  a  considerable 
endowment.  In  fact,  in  some  lands,  as  in  Turkey,  the  mis- 
sionaries have  won  the  leadership  in  higher  education.  The 
medical  work  has  also  been  largely  developed,  and  to  a  re- 
markable extent  has  aided  to  dissipate  prejudice  and  to  pre- 
pare the  way  for  the  acceptance  of  the  Gospel.  By  the  ef- 
forts of  medical  missionaries,  hospitals  have  been  established 
in  many  lands  and  have  been  extensively  patronized  by  all 
classes  of  people.  By  the  translation  of  the  Bible  into  all 
the  languages  of  the  world,  by  the  publication  of  newspapers 
and  of  educational  and  religious  books  of  every  variety,  by 
the  opening  not  only  of  common  schools  but  also  of  high 
schools  and  colleges  for  both  sexes,  by  the  preaching  of  mis- 
sionaries and  native  pastors,  and  by  the  social  influence  of 
a  large  body  of  native  and  foreign  Christians  the  public 
mind,  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  has  been  enlightened  on 
questions  social,  political,  moral  and  religious.  In  some  lands 
this  enlightenment  of  public  opinion  has  had  a  very  marked 
influence  in  bringing  about  changes  of  government.  Thus 
Christian  missions  have  meant  the  gradual  renovation  of  soci- 
ety. Wherever  the  Gospel  has  been  faithfully  preached  and 
heartily  embraced,  the  social  betterment  of  the  people  has 
inevitably  followed.  In  short,  in  all  lands,  at  all  times, 
and  among  all  classes  of  people,  it  has  been  proved  that 
''Godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of 


MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  AND  METHODS         269 

the  life  that  now  is  and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  (1  Tim. 
4:8.) 

Now,  does  the  development  of  new  methods  and  new  agen- 
cies and  the  general  enlargement  of  view  of  those  engaged 
in  the  missionary  service — does  this  involve  a  new  motive  of 
missions?  Is  it  not  all  a  legitimate  outcome  of  the  one  great 
initial  motive — the  motive  of  love  to  God  and  love  to  man? 
While  rejoicing  in  all  the  social  betterment  which  the  Gospel 
brings,  shall  we  forget  that  the  basis  of  all  real  and  perma- 
nent betterment  is  a  change  of  character?  Is  not  the  estab- 
lishment of  right  relations  to  God  the  secret  and  source  of 
every  blessing,  whether  temporal  or  spiritual?  Christ  came 
to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.  Does  not  this  imply  a  present 
as  well  as  a  future  salvation? 

From  time  to  time  the  perspective  of  truth  changes,  but 
no  change  of  view  changes  the  fact  of  God's  love  or  the  fact 
of  man's  need  of  a  Saviour.  In  recent  times  special  empha- 
sis has  been  laid  on  the  love  of  God  to  all  men,  on  the  good 
qualities  found  in  all  men,  and  on  the  need  of  social  bet- 
terment. This  is  right  and  fitting.  In  former  times  em- 
phasis was  laid  on  the  lost  condition  of  men,  and  it  is  remark- 
able how  much  the  Saviour  of  men  emphasized  this  fact. 
This  too  is  not  to  be  forgotten.  If  at  the  present  time  any 
one  doubts  the  lost  condition  of  men  and  their  need  of  a  rad- 
ical spiritual  change — if,  in  short,  any  one  has  doubts  respect- 
ing the  hideousness  of  sin  and  its  awful  consequences — let  him 
contemplate  the  horrors  and  the  desolations  of  the  great  Euro- 
pean war — a  war  between  so-called  Christian  nations  after 
1,900  years  of  Gospel  preaching! 

We  conclude  then  that  the  real,  the  abiding  motive  of 
missions  is  one  and  unchangeable— it  is  love  to  God  and  love 
to  man.  Impelled  by  this  great  motive,  let  Christian  mis- 
sionaries and  all  friends  of  missions  enlarge  their  views  and 
develop  their  methods  and  agencies  to  any  desired  extent; 
it  is  all  legitimate  growth,  it  is  all  part  and  parcel  of  God's 


270  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

plan.  Let  us  never  forget,  however,  that  the  object  of  Chris- 
tian missions  is,  and  ever  will  be,  the  object  of  Christ  himself 
in  coming  into  the  world ; — it  is  to  seek  and  to  save,  loth  for 
time  and  eternity,  that  which  was  lost. 

Let  the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  dominate  the 
thought  of  any  Christian  man,  and  he  cannot  fail  to  be  im- 
pelled by  the  motive  which  controlled  his  Lord  and  Saviour, 
nor  can  he  fail  to  remember  the  one  great  object  which  Christ 
had  in  view  in  coming  from  heaven  to  earth  (John  3:16). 

' '  Oh,  'twas  love,  'twas  wondrous  love, 

The  love  of  God  to  me; 
It  brought  my  Saviour  from  above 
To  die  on  Calvary." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

REMINISCENCES 

A  CHRISTIAN  ANCESTRY 

THE  first  occasion  for  thanksgiving  is  a  Christian  ancestry. 
My  cousin,  Dr.  Daniel  Milbury  Greene,  a  surgeon  in  the  Civil 
War,  and  for  many  years  a  physician  in  Boston,  by  careful 
research  in  England  and  America,  ascertained  that  our  re- 
mote ancestor,  Richard  Green,  and  his  wife,  Margaret  Wes- 
ton,  came  to  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  in  July,  1622.  They 
were  followed  by  Henry  Green  and  wife,  who  came  to  Boston 
in  1635.  Ephraim  Green,  born  in  1722,  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  Eliphalet  Green,  born  in  1769,  married  Jane 
Cilley,  and  settled  in  Andover,  New  Hampshire,  and  there 
my  father,  David  Green,  was  born  November  25,  1804. 

My  mother,  Lyntha  Miller,  was  a  descendant  of  Joseph 
Miller,  a  clergyman  who  came  to  Boston  from  Southampton, 
England,  in  1635.  Richard  Miller,  his  son,  settled  in  Kit- 
tery,  Maine.  His  descendant,  John  Miller,  in  1794  married 
Love  Kingsbury,  whose  ancestor,  Henry  Kingsbury,  went  to 
Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  in  1638.  John  Miller  and  wife  set- 
tled in  Kennebunkport,  Maine,  and  reared  a  goodly  family  in 
the  fear  and  love  of  God.  He  was  a  farmer,  of  fine  figure 
and  dignified  bearing,  and  in  his  later  years  became  tax  col- 
lector of  the  town.  His  wife,  of  Scotch  descent,  was  a  witty 
woman,  of  much  ability  and  force  of  character.  To  them,  my 
mother,  Lyntha  Miller,  was  born  on  October  2,  1796.  She 
received  only  such  education  as  a  common  school  of  the  time 
could  give.  In  September,  1821,  she  married  Captain 

271 


272  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Thomas  F.  Gould,  who  was  lost  at  sea  in  1826.  On  October 
13,  1828,  she  married  my  father,  David  Green,  and  shortly 
afterwards  they  removed  to  Auburn,  Maine.  My  mother  had 
four  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter  by  her  first  husband  and 
two  sons  by  her  second  husband.  I  was  the  youngest  child, 
born  April  10,  1834.  My  father  was  agent  of  a  shoe  manu- 
facturing company  at  Minot,  near  Auburn,  Maine.  To  ar- 
range for  the  sale  of  boots  and  shoes  he  visited  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  in  December,  1839,  and  on  his  return  was  lost 
by  the  burning  of  the  steamer  Lexington,  on  Long  Island 
Sound,  January  13,  1840.  Not  yet  six  years  old,  I  remember 
little  of  my  father,  but  I  have  learned  that  he  was  a  godly 
man  and  a  zealous  member  of  the  Congregational  church 
of  Auburn,  and  that  before  his  departure  for  Pittsburgh,  he 
was  an  earnest  worker  in  a  revival.  His  body  was  found, 
frozen,  in  a  small  boat  belonging  to  the  steamer,  and  was 
brought  home  and  buried  in  Auburn.  On  his  tombstone  were 
inscribed  these  words:  "Death  to  him  was  sudden,  but  the 
Christian  is  prepared  to  go  whenever  God  calls."  The  only 
relic  which  I  have  of  my  father  is  a  small  Testament,  stained 
with  salt  water,  which  was  found  in  his  pocket. 

In  1855  my  mother  removed  from  Maine  to  Ohio,  where 
my  brother  Milbury  and  my  half-brother  George  were  con- 
structing a  railroad.  Here  she  lived  for  29  years,  happy  in 
the  love  of  her  boys,  and  with  the  Methodist  people  she  found 
a  pleasant  church  home. 

HOME  TRAINING 

From  my  parents  I  inherited  a  strong  constitution,  which 
in  all  the  changes  of  82  years  has  helped  me  to  continue 
steadily  at  work.  For  six  years  after  father's  death  I  was 
mother's  helper  at  home,  and  learned  lessons  in  methodical 
habits,  self-help,  and  housework.  I  drove  cows  to  pasture  at 
one  dollar  a  head  for  the  season,  and  attended  school.  Well 


REMINISCENCES  273 

do  I  remember  how  mother  led  me  by  the  hand  to  the  mothers' 
weekly  prayer  meeting  and  taught  me  to  pray.  My  Sunday 
school  teacher  was  Miss  Christiana  Stetson,  a  devout  and 
loving  woman,"  who  taught  me  the  Westminster  Catechism. 
I  am  happy  to  have  in  my  possession  the  very  catechism, 
much  worn,  which  I  studied  when  a  child.  It  is  well  that  I 
learned  early  the  question,  "What  is  the  chief  end  of  man?" 
and  never  forgot  the  answer. 

When  12  years  old  I  began  to  work  in  a  store,  and  paid 
my  mother  $1.25  a  week  for  board.  I  still  have  the  book  in 
which  I  recorded  the  groceries  which  from  week  to  week  I 
brought  home  in  payment  of  board.  From  the  grocery  I 
passed  to  a  dry  goods  store  in  Auburn  and  worked  there  two 
years  and  more.  The  chief  thing  that  I. remember  during 
this  period  is  that  occasionally  there  came  to  the  store  two 
girls — daughters  of  a  respectable  farmer — who  always  dressed 
alike,  and  one  of  whom  struck  me  as  the  prettiest  girl  I  ever 
saw,  and  I  never  forgot  her. 

WORK  IN  BOSTON  AND  CONVERSION 

When  15  years  old  I  obtained  a  position  as  clerk  in  the 
wholesale  dry  goods  store  of  Little,  Brigham  and  Company, 
Boston.  I  was  most  fortunate  to  get  board  with  a  cultured 
Christian  family  by  the  name  of  Merriam,  and  to  room  with 
a  son,  James,  older  than  myself,  and  an  earnest  Christian. 
I  joined  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Central  Congregational 
Church,  and  was  placed  in  the  class  of  Deacon  Proctor,  a 
publisher  on  Cornhill.  One  Sunday  he  asked  me  to  wait 
after  school,  and,  taking  me  kindly  by  the  hand,  made  sev- 
eral inquiries.  I  told  him  in  brief  the  story  of  my  life. 
When  he  learned  who  my  roommate  was,  he  said,  "I  know 
James  Merriam,  he  is  a  real  Christian,  and  I  beg  you  to  go 
straight  to  your  room  and  say  to  him  that  you  purpose  from 
this  day  on  to  give  yourself  to  Christ."  On  going  out  I 


274  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

stopped  on  the  steps  of  the  church.  It  was  a  beautiful  Sab- 
bath day.  Near  by  was  Boston  Common,  and  I  was  tempted 
to  go  there  for  a  stroll.  While  vacillating,  two  words  seemed 
to  sound  in  my  ears — Now  or  never.  They  seemed  to  be  a 
voice  from  heaven,  warning  me  not  to  grieve  away  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Without  hesitation  I  went  to  my  boarding-house, 
climbed  several  pairs  of  stairs  to  my  room  in  the  garret,  and 
there  found  my  roommate.  I  told  him  what  had  passed  be- 
tween Deacon  Proctor  and  myself.  He  was  glad,  read  some 
verses  from  the  Bible,  and,  after  a  few  words,  asked  me  to 
kneel  with  him  and  then  and  there  consecrate  myself  to  Christ. 
This  was  the  turning-point  in  my  life.  In  some  respects  I 
was  prepared  to  confess  Christ,  but  nobody  had  ever  spoken 
to  me  about  making  a  decision.  I  wait  to  meet  my  dear 
Sunday  school  teacher  in  heaven,  and  thank  him  for  his 
thoughtfulness  in  stopping  me,  a  stranger,  and  inviting  me 
at  once  to  stand  up  for  Jesus.  That  Sunday  evening,  by  in- 
vitation of  my  roommate,  I  attended  a  union  prayer  meeting 
in  the  Congregational  church  of  Dr.  Nehemiah  Adams  in 
Essex  Street.  I  was  thus  introduced  at  once  to  the  society 
of  choice  young  men,  among  whom  was  James  M.  Gordon, 
for  many  years  the  treasurer  of  the  American  Board. 

JOINING  THE  CHURCH 

After  some  weeks,  attracted  by  the  preaching  of  Dr.  An- 
drew L.  Stone,  I  applied  to  the  Park  Street  church  for  mem- 
bership. The  pastor  received  me  kindly  and  invited  me  to 
meet  him  and  the  deacons  at  his  home  on  a  week-day  evening. 
They  talked  with  me  of  my  religious  experience,  my  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Bible,  what  it  is  to  be  a  Christian  and  a  church 
member,  the  duty  of  prayer  and  kindred  topics,  and  invited 
me  to  come  again  after  two  weeks.  On  the  second  occa- 
sion the  scribe  of  the  deacons '  meeting  read  to  me  a  summary 
of  my  former  statements,  and  I  was  asked  to  put  my  signa- 


REMINISCENCES  275 

ture  to  it  if  I  found  it  correct.  I  was  thereupon  accepted, 
and  on  May  5,  1850,  was  received  into  membership.  I  wish 
to  record  that  these  friendly  interviews  which  I  had  with  the 
pastor  and  deacons  of  the  church  made  a  most  happy  and 
abiding  impression  on  my  mind,  and  were  a  great  help  to 
me  at  the  beginning  of  my  career.  The  interviews  gave  me 
a  new  idea  of  the  Christian  life  and  taught  me  the  significance 
of  church  membership  in  a  way  that  could  not  be  forgotten. 
Surely  pastors  cannot  afford  to  lose  such  opportunities  for 
impressing  the  minds  of  young  people  who  apply  for  mem- 
bership. 

THE  QUESTION  OF  BECOMING  A  MISSIONARY 

Not  long  after  my  decision  for  Christ  the  thought  came 
to  me,  unsuggested  by  any  one,  that  I  ought  to  give  up  my 
business  and  become  a  missionary.  It  was  not,  at  first,  a  wel- 
come thought.  I  wanted  to  be  a  business  man.  My  employ- 
ers liked  me  and  I  liked  them,  and  I  thought  that  I  had  the 
stuff  in  me  to  make  a  successful  merchant.  I  wrestled  with 
this  question  for  three  months.  I  read  a  little  book,  entitled 
"Thoughts  on  Missions,"  and  prayed  over  the  subject  every 
day.  I  wrote  down  the  pros  and  cons  and  was  much  im- 
pressed by  the  thought  that  the  missionary  service  would,  in 
the  end,  prove  more  satisfactory  than  any  worldly  business, 
even  though  carried  on  with  a  Christian  motive.  However, 
the  long  preparation  necessary,  and  the  expense,  for  which 
I  must  rely  upon  myself,  appalled  me,  and  I  found  it  diffi- 
cult to  solve  the  question.  Finally,  I  decided  to  consult  my 
six  best  friends — my  mother,  my  guardian,  my  boyhood  pas- 
tor, Mr.  Little,  the  head  of  the  firm  which  employed  me, 
Deacon  Proctor,  my  Sunday  school  teacher,  and  Dr.  Stone, 
my  pastor.  Three  of  them  said:  " Stick  to  your  business 
and  be  a  Christian  merchant";  the  other  three  said:  "Give 
up  your  business  and  be  a  missionary. "  So  I  was  obliged  to 


276  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

turn  again  to  my  Saviour  for  advice,  and  decide  the  question 
myself.  More  and  more  I  was  impressed  by  the  thought  that 
whatever  separations  and  trials  the  missionary  life  might  in- 
volve, it  was  still  the  ideal  service.  My  mother,  who  at  first 
was  opposed,  by  advice  of  my  brother  Milbury,  gave  her 
consent.  I  decided  to  be  a  missionary. 

ACADEMY  AND  COLLEGE 

Resigning  my  position  in  the  store,  I  prepared  for  college 
in  the  Lewiston  Falls  Academy,  Auburn,  Maine,  under  Rev. 
Jotham  B.  Sewall,  an  able  and  beloved  teacher.  I  graduated 
from  Bowdoin  College,  Brunswick,  Maine,  in  1855.  During 
the  winter  vacations  of  my  freshman  and  sophomore  years  I 
taught  school;  during  the  winter  of  my  junior  year  I  gave 
myself  to  reading  and  study,  and  wrote  a  careful  translation 
of  Demosthenes*  orations.  In  my  senior  year  with  one  as- 
sistant I  taught  the  Brunswick  High  School,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Professor  William  Smyth,  chairman  of  the  school  com- 
mittee. This  service  was  a  strain  on  mind  and  body,  and 
robbed  me  of  time  which  I  needed  for  study  and  general  read- 
ing, but  it  did  not  affect  my  standing  in  class.  College  friend- 
ships were  precious  to  me,  especially  in  the  Psi  Upsilon  Fra- 
ternity, and  my  acquaintance  with  college  professors  and 
their  families  was  happy  and  profitable.  Out  of  50  class- 
mates only  three  besides  myself  survive — the  Honorable 
William  L.  Putnam,  United  States  Judge ;  Mr.  S.  I.  Kimball, 
the  organizer  and  for  more  than  30  years  the  head  of  the 
Life  Saving  Service  of. the  United  States;  and  Mr.  Daniel 
Crosby,  a  successful  merchant  of  Topeka,  Kansas. 

ENGAGEMENT 

One  event,  of  great  interest  to  me,  was  my  engagement, 
in  my  sophomore  year,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Augusta  Davis,  of 


REMINISCENCES  277 

Lewiston,  Maine.  She  was  the  girl  who  struck  my  fancy 
when  I  was  a  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  store  in  Auburn.  Five 
years  had  passed,  and  she  was  a  very  amiable  and  attractive 
young  lady  of  20  years,  and  I  was  afraid  I  should  lose  her. 
Yet  she  was  a  very  zealous  member  of  the  Baptist  church  of 
Lewiston,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  interfere  with  her  Baptist 
principles.  So  I  purchased  and  read  Baptist  books,  with  the 
thought  that  possibly  I  myself  might  become  a  Baptist,  but  the 
more  I  read  the  worse  off  I  was.  I  came  to  believe  that  Jesus, 
when  baptized,  stood  in  the  Jordan,  and  that  John  poured 
water  upon  his  head,  and  I  could  never  accept  the  point  that 
the  validity  of  baptism  depended  upon  the  amount  of  water 
used  in  the  administration  of  the  rite.  At  last,  on  a  vacation 
I  ventured  to  state  the  situation  to  the  young  lady,  and  she 
replied,  "Come  again  after  two  days."  When  I  returned, 
she  said,  "I  have  laid  the  whole  matter  before  the  Lord  with 
all  earnestness,  and  have  asked  him  clearly  to  indicate  to  me 
whether  he  had  any  objections,  and  during  two  days  of  wait- 
ing the  Lord  has  not  indicated  any  objection  whatever,  so 
I  think  it  is  all  right. ' '  Even  her  father  the  Baptist  deacon, 
and  the  zealous  Baptist  pastor  did  not  interpose  any  objec- 
tion. After  a  most  enjoyable  course  of  study  Miss  Davis 
graduated  from  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary  in  1857.  Five 
members  of  her  class  became  missionaries. 

THEOLOGICAL  STUDY 

By  advice  of  Rev.  Roswell  D.  Hitchcock,  then  a  professor 
of  Bowdoin  College,  I  went  to  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York.  During  my  theological  course  also  I  gave  very 
considerable  time  to  teaching,  and  to  the  care  of  a  mission 
Sunday  school,  sustained  by  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian 
church.  I  greatly  appreciated  the  opportunities  of  study 
under  the  professors  of  Union  Seminary,  and  among  the 
privileges  highly  prized  was  the  instruction  in  Hebrew  by 


278  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Dr.  Elias  Riggs,  the  veteran  Turkish  missionary,  during  his 
furlough  of  1856-58. 

Miss  Davis  and  I  were  married  shortly  after  her  graduation 
from  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  and  together  we  enjoyed  one 
year  of  study  and  reading  in  the  homeland. 

ORDINATION 

I  was  ordained  in  November,  1858,  in  the  Pine  Street 
Congregational  church,  Lewiston,  Maine.  In  his  charge,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Carruthers,  of  Portland,  said:  "No  audible  voice 
from  heaven  has  signified  your  divine  call,  yet  you  and  we 
are  acting  on  the  conviction  that  you  have  been  called  of  God 
to  be  a  minister  of  the  churches  to  the  people  of  a  distant 
land.  .  .  .  There  Paul  planted,  Apollos  watered,  and  God 
gave  the  increase.  .  .  .  Who  can  doubt  the  divine  origin  of 
the  design  of  the  restoration  of  the  Greek  and  Armenian 
churches  to  their  pristine  purity  of  doctrine  and  worship? 
Some  of  the  noble  pioneers  in  this  early  missionary  field  yet 
remain.  I  need  not  bid  you  defer  to  their  judgment  in  all 
matters  connected  with  the  missionary  work.  ...  Be  dili- 
gent, pray  without  ceasing,  cultivate  familiarity  with  God's 
Holy  Word.  Immediately  on  your  arrival  at  your  appointed 
station  set  about  the  acquisition  of  the  language.  You  go 
forth  as  a  messenger  of  the  American  churches,  and  they  will 
naturally  expect  to  hear  from  you.  Cultivate  then  a  terse, 
clear,  condensed,  comprehensive  style.  Give  us  facts,  simply 
told  and  sufficiently  authenticated.  Go  then,  sustained  by  the 
strength  of  Christ,  and  cheered  by  the  sympathy  of  those 
who  esteem  you  very  highly  in  love  for  your  work's  sake." 

This  is  a  brief  summary  of  a  very  appropriate  charge — a 
charge  which  was  the  chart  of  my  missionary  life.  The  right 
hand  of  fellowship,  given  me  by  Professor  Egbert  C.  Smyth, 
was  admirable — comprehensive,  rich  and  fitting  in  thought, 
full  of  sympathy  and  of  the  true  spirit  of  fellowship.  The 


REMINISCENCES  279 

consecrating  prayer  of  Rev.  Uriah  Balkam,  the  pastor,  was 
peculiarly  solemn.  All  the  exercises  of  the  occasion  im- 
pressed those  present  with  the  great  and  glorious  reality  of 
religion. 

AN  INCIDENT 

I  had  already  received  from  the  officers  of  the  American 
Board  my  commission  as  a  missionary  to  Turkey,  and  in 
October,  1858,  attended  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  at 
Detroit.  On  this  occasion  an  incident  occurred  which  was 
profitable  to  me  and  not  a  little  amusing.  I  started  from 
Boston  in  company  with  several  young  missionary  couples, 
and  at  Springfield  our  party  was  joined  by  an  elderly  clergy- 
man. From  Niagara  Falls  we  went  by  omnibus  to  a  port  on 
Lake  Erie,  where  we  took  steamer  for  Detroit.  The  day  of 
this  omnibus  trip  was  bright  and  beautiful,  and  we  were  a 
jolly  party.  I  do  not  recall  that  I  was  more  lively  than  my 
young  companions,  but  on  our  return  to  Boston,  when  I  called 
at  the  office  of  Dr.  Rufus  Anderson,  the  dignified  foreign 
secretary,  he  quietly  said  that  he  had  received  a  letter  from 
an  elderly  clergyman  who  was  in  our  party,  and  that  this 
clergyman  had  raised  the  question  whether  it  was  worth 
while  to  send  out  as  a  missionary  such  a  frivolous  young  man 
as  Mr.  Greene.  I  was  startled  by  the  thought,  Am  I  to  lose 
my  commission?  But  Dr.  Anderson  relieved  my  embarrass- 
ment by  kindly  adding  that  he  did  not  give  significance  to  the 
letter ;  he  remarked,  however,  that  it  is  well  for  young  persons 
to  be  careful  of  their  behavior  when  they  are  in  the  company 
of  elderly  people.  I  venture  to  pass  on  the  advice  to  any 
young  missionaries  who  may  need  it. 

THE  VOYAGE 

The  opening  year  (1859)  found  us  waiting  to  embark  on 
our  life-work,  our  preparations  completed  and  our  farewells 


280  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

said  to  parents  and  friends.  I  had  parted  from  my  mother 
in  Ohio  in  October.  The  Lord  gave  us  courage  and  com- 
posure, yea,  gladness  of  heart.  Precious  was  the  last  season 
of  prayer  before  bidding  the  dear  mother  farewell.  We 
parted  from  my  wife's  father  and  11  brothers  and  sisters 
with  many  tears  and  much  heaviness  of  heart,  especially  be- 
cause several  of  the  children  were  young  and  had  recently 
lost  their  mother.  It  was  a  trying  time,  but  the  Lord  helped 
us  all  to  wipe  away  our  tears. 

We  were  guests  for  several  days  in  the  hospitable  home  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Hobart,  of  Boston.  They  had  long  been 
our  dear  friends,  and  their  loving  kindness  was  manifested 
in  a  thousand  ways.  Not  only  from  them  but  also  from  other 
friends  of  Park  Street  church  we  received  many  tokens  of 
love,  both  before  our  departure  and  afterwards.  On  Janu- 
ary the  eighth  we  were  present  at  a  delightful  social  and  devo- 
tional meeting,  attended  by  the  secretaries  of  the  Board  and 
by  members  of  the  Prudential  Committee  and  their  wives. 
Secretaries  Anderson  and  Treat  and  Doctors  Nehemiah 
Adams  and  A.  C.  Thompson  spoke  words  of  counsel  and 
cheer. 

We  embarked  on  January  11,  an  intensely  cold  day,  but 
after  a  farewell  service  on  board  ship,  and  after  the  friends 
present  had  said  good-by  and  departed,  the  captain  told  us 
that  on  account  of  the  ice  in  the  harbor  he  could  not  sail, 
probably  for  days.  So,  taking  carriages,  we  went  back  to 
the  homes  of  our  friends  as  "returned"  missionaries. 

Finally,  on  January  17,  we  embarked  again,  and  were  soon 
on  our  way.  With  more  gladness  than  sorrow  we  lost  sight 
in  the  distance  both  of  our  friends  and  native  land,  conscious 
that  we  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  whom  we  served,  and 
eager  to  enter  on  our  work.  Our  barque  was  the  Andrew 
Carney,  of  337  tons'  burden;  our  captain,  George  C.  Prior, 
a  fine  old  salt  and  a  Christian  man,  with  two  good  mates,  one 
cook,  one  steward,  and  seven  seamen.  The  passengers  were 


JOSEPH    K.    GREENE  ELIZABETH     A.     DAVIS 

ENGAGEMENT   DAGUERREOTYPES,    1852 


MR.  AND  MRS.   GREENE  AT  CONSTANTINOPLE,   1884 


REMINISCENCES  281 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  W.  Merriam — within  three  years  to 
die,  he  by  the  hand  of  robbers,  and  she  and  her  new-born 
babe  in  consequence — Dr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  S.  West,  my  wife 
and  babe,  and  myself.  Of  all  these  missionaries,  I  am  the 
only  survivor.  We  had  but  one  small  cabin,  with  the  dining 
table  in  the  center,  and  three  small  staterooms  on  either  side 
of  the  table.  Our  barque  was  a  staunch  vessel  and  a  splendid 
sailer.  In  those  days  missionaries  were  not  sent  out  by 
steamer,  but  by  sailing  vessels,  and  the  vessels  sailing  from 
Boston  to  Turkey  often,  as  in  our  case,  carried  missionaries 
in  the  cabin,  and  barrels  of  New  England  rum  in  the  hold. 
Missionaries  and  rum — for  long  years  the  only  two  exports 
from  America  to  Turkey!  Of  vessels  laden  with  such  com- 
modities the  following  jingle  was  not  inappropriate : 

"The  spirit  above  is  the  spirit  of  love, 
The  spirit  below  is  the  spirit  of  woe. 
The  spirit  above  is  the  Spirit  Divine, 
The  spirit  below  is  the  spirit  of  wine." 

After  clearing  Boston  harbor  we  were  caught  by  a  strong 
westerly  wind  and  were  swept  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to 
the  Strait  of  Gibraltar  in  15  days  and  16  hours.  It  was  a 
tempestuous  voyage,  and  our  barque  scarcely  righted  until 
we  reached  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  We  gave  up  many  things 
but  never  gave  up  our  courage.  During  the  voyage  Mer- 
riam, West,  and  myself  had  many  happy  meetings  with  the 
officers  and  crew,  both  in  the  cabin  and  forecastle.  One 
young  sailor  was  a  Christian  and  another  professed  to  have 
accepted  Christ,  and  all  the  men  seemed  to  enjoy  the  meet- 
ings. 

ARRIVAL  IN  TURKEY 

On  the  Mediterranean  we  encountered  head  winds,  storms, 
and  calms,  but  on  the  35th  day  from  Boston  we  safely  reached 
Smyrna  on  the  morning  of  Washington's  birthday,  February 


282  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

22,  1859.  We  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  Eev.  and  Mrs. 
Dodd  and  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Ladd,  missionaries  of  the  Board, 
and  other  friends,  native  and  foreign.  It  was  delightful  to 
be  on  terra  firma  once  more,  to  join  with  friends  in  a  meeting 
of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  to  satisfy  a  ravenous  appetite, 
and  to  get  exercise  in  a  game  of  blindman's  buff.  I  learned 
in  due  time  that  a  little  merriment  and  a  spirit  of  humor 
are  great  helps  to  the  missionary.  Our  stay  in  Smyrna  was 
enlivened  by  a  donkey  ride,  which  afforded  great  amusement 
to  those  who  had  never  heard  a  donkey  bray.  We  passed 
the  place  where  men  were  at  work  on  the  first  railroad  built  in 
Asiatic  Turkey,  visited  the  Genoese  castle,  also  the  reputed 
spot  of  Polycarp's  martyrdom,  and  other  places  of  interest. 
We  passed  two  Sabbaths  in  Smyrna,  and  were  much  pleased 
to  attend  a  Sunday  school,  to  join  in  a  religious  service, 
and  to  hear  sermons  in  Turkish  and  Armenian.  We  took  a 
few  lessons  in  Turkish  from  a  converted  Turk,  and  were 
favored  with  many  useful  hints  and  suggestions  from 
friends. 

After  an  interesting  voyage  by  Russian  steamer  we  reached 
Constantinople  on  March  10,  and  were  taken  in  a  beautiful 
little  boat,  called  caique  (ka-eek)  to  the  quarter  of  Haskeuy 
on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Golden  Horn,  and  were  welcomed 
by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Goodell.  Near  by  were  the  home  of  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Riggs,  and  the  Girls  Boarding  School  under  the 
care  of  Miss  Maria  A.  West.  After  two  days  it  was  a  great 
privilege  to  meet  the  pioneer  missionaries  of  Constantinople 
in  a  station  meeting  at  Bebek,  a  village  on  the  European 
shore  of  the  Bosphorus  six  miles  above  the  city.  At  this 
meeting  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merriam  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  West  were 
advised  to  take  up  the  study  of  Turkish,  and  my  wife  and 
myself  the  study  of  Armenian.  We  learned  that  at  that  time 
the  missionaries  and  native  preachers  were  maintaining  15 
religious  services  every  Sabbath  in  different  quarters  of  the 
city  and  in  five  languages.  I  was  invited  to  preach  on  Sun- 


REMINISCENCES  283 

day  in  English  in  the  Dutch  chapel  in  Per  a.     This  was  the 
beginning  of  a  service  of  51  years  in  Turkey. 

We  were  designated  by  the  Committee  ad  Interim  of  the 
mission  to  be  the  associates  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parsons  in  the 
Nicomedia  station,  and  on  March  23  we  arrived  in  that  city 
by  steamer  from  Constantinople.  So  at  last  we  had  reached 
our  destination,  most  thankful  to  God  who  had  brought  us 
safely  across  the  ocean,  had  given  us  kind  friends  to  welcome 
us  at  Smyrna  and  Constantinople,  and  had  brought  us  to  our 
place  of  labor  in  health  and  peace  and  joy.  Here,  besides 
Mr.  Parsons,  whose  wife  and  children  were  at  the  time  in 
America,  were  kind  native  Christians,  eager  to  grasp  our 
hand  and  cooperate  with  us  in  work.  How  different  was  this 
entrance  on  missionary  life  from  that  which  the  early  mis- 
sionaries experienced!  We  felt  that  trials  of  body,  heart, 
and  spirit  might  be  before  us,  but  joyfully  left  our  future  in 
the  hands  of  the  Heavenly  Father. 

NICOMEDIA 

A  few  miles  below  Constantinople  the  Asia  Minor  coast  is 
penetrated  for  a  distance  of  some  50  miles  by  the  Gulf  of 
Nicomedia,  an  arm  of  the  Marmora.  On  the  side  of  the  hill 
at  the  head  of  the  gulf  lies  the  city  of  Nicomedia,  built  by 
Nicomedes  I,  king  of  Bithynia,  B.  C.  264.  It  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Romans  B.  C.  74.  Here  Diocletian  fixed  for 
a  while  the  seat  of  the  Roman  government,  and  here  by  his 
command,  in  A.  D.  303,  the  10th  and  fiercest  of  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  early  Christians  began.  After  600  years  of  Turkish 
rule  the  city  still  survived,  with  20,000  inhabitants,  one-third 
of  whom  were  Armenians,  one-fourth  Greeks  and  Jews,  and 
the  remainder,  Turks.  On  their  journey  of  exploration  of 
Asia  Minor  in  1830  Dr.  Eli  Smith  and  Rev.  H.  G.  0.  Dwight 
passed  through  this  city.  In  1832  Rev.  William  Goodell  and 
Commodore  Porter,  the  United  States'  minister,  on  their  way 


284  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

to  Brousa,  passed  a  few  hours  in  Nicomedia  and  visited  the 
Armenian  church.  One  of  the  priests  accepted  a  tract  called 
The  Dairyman's  Daughter,  whijeh  had  been  translated  into 
Turkish  and  printed  with  Armenian  letters.  This  tract  was 
the  means  of  awakening  the  priest.  "If  this  is  true  relig- 
ion," he  said  to  himself,  'then  as  yet  I  have  no  religion." 
This  man  and  another  priest  began  to  study  the  Bible,  and 
the  two  labored  together  for  years  to  enlighten  the  people. 
On  visiting  the  city  in  1838  Dr.  Dwight  found  a  band  of  16 
men,  who  for  years  had  been  accustomed  to  meet  together 
for  the  study  of  the  Bible.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  these 
men  had  had  no  interviews  with  missionaries,  Dr.  Dwight, 
in  writing  to  the  officers  of  the  Board  about  this  visit,  ex- 
claimed: "Give  us  more  prayers,  and  you  may  give  us 
fewer  missionaries."  In  1846  the  two  priests  were  cast  out 
of  the  Armenian  church,  and  in  July  of  the  same  year  an 
evangelical  church  of  16  members  was  formed,  and  one  of 
the  priests  was  chosen  deacon. 

We  lived  in  Nicomedia  for  more  than  three  years.  The 
field  assigned  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parsons  and  ourselves  included 
part  of  the  ancient  province  of  Bithynia,  extending  from 
the  Sea  of  Marmora  100  miles  and  more  to  the  east.  It  was 
a  land  without  a  census,  but  may  have  contained  1,000,000 
people,  more  than  half  of  whom  were  Turks  and  the  remainder 
Armenians,  Greeks,  and  Jews.  In  this  field  there  were  in 
1859  four  evangelical  churches  and  a  dozen  small  Protestant 
communities. 

LANGUAGE  STUDY 

I  ^' 


I  soon  learned  the  Armenian  alphabet,  of  36  letters,  and 
began  to  pick  up  and  write  down  words.  Under  separate 
heads  I  made  lists  of  words  for  articles  of  food,  table  and 
household  furniture,  human  relationships,  religious  and  ab- 
stract words,  and  many  other  classes.  I  thus  became  familiar 
with  the  words,  and  through  conversation,  with  their  pro- 


REMINISCENCES  285 

nunciation.  Soon  I  had  so  many  words  that  it  took  too  much 
time,  in  search  of  a  word,  to  run  over  the  lists.  Finally,  I 
purchased  two  blank  books  of  some  400  pages,  each,  and  ruled 
off  columns  for  English,  Armenian,  Turkish,  and  Greek 
words.  Out  of  Webster's  dictionary  I  wrote  in  the  first 
column  some  8,000  words — those  which  were  most  commonly 
used — and  in  the  course  of  time,  wrote,  each  word  in  its 
proper  place,  the  equivalent  of  the  English  words  in  Arme- 
nian, Turkish,  and  Greek.  So,  in  time,  I  had  a  dictionary 
of  my  own  make,  in  four  languages.  This  work  was  con- 
tinued for  years,  not  to  complete  a  dictionary,  but  to  familiar- 
ize myself  with  the  languages  of  the  country.  For  me  it  was 
most  useful.  It  taught  me  how  to  spell  and  gave  me  a  large 
vocabulary  and  facility  of  speech.  I  never  knew  a  mission- 
ary who  followed  my  example  altogether,  but  if  I  were  again 
to  begin  the  study  of  a  new  language,  I  would  pursue  the 
same  method.  All  the  languages  mentioned  have  guttural 
sounds,  more  or  less  difficult  for  foreigners,  especially  for 
English  speaking  people,  and  facility  of  pronunciation  re- 
quires constant  practice  and  vocal  aptitude.  Yet  mastery  of 
the  language  of  a  people  is  the  condition  of  highest  useful- 
ness. There  is  no  end  to  language  study,  and  not  a  few  mis- 
sionaries, after  they  have  gotten  a  vocabulary  which  suffices 
for  ordinary  conversation,  weary  of  the  study.  Yet  every 
missionary  should  aim  to  use  the  language  of  the  people  with 
such  correctness  and  facility  as  not  to  be  put  to  shame  in  the 
presence  of  educated  natives.  The  people  will  excuse  any 
number  of  mistakes  in  a  beginner,  but  the  missionary  who, 
after  years  of  residence  in  the  land,  shows  himself  ignorant 
of  words  and  idioms  and  grammar,  will  lose  much  of  his  in- 
fluence. 

AN  EXPERIENCE 

The  first  year  of  missionary  life  is  generally  the  most  try- 
ing.    The  young  missionary  is  only  beginning  to  learn  the 


286  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

language,  the  customs  and  the  thoughts  of  the  people.  The 
story  is  told  that  a  young  missionary  once  complained  to  Dr. 
Goodell  because  he  was  obliged  to  spend  so  much  time  in  lan- 
guage study.  Dr.  Goodell  replied  that  this  was  a  wise  ar- 
rangement, for  if  the  young  missionary  were  to  enter  at  once 
on  work,  he  might,  during  his  first  year,  make  so  many  mis- 
takes that  a  life-time  would  hardly  suffice  to  correct  them.  As 
for  myself  I  had  no  complaint  to  make,  but  I  was  burdened 
with  the  thought  that  I  was  almost  useless.  In  the  first  year 
by  reading  in  Armenian  a  few  sentences  I  was  able  to  assist 
in  several  religious  services;  I  accompanied  Mr.  Parsons  on 
a  few  tours,  and  by  request  of  my  associate  began  to  keep 
the  account  books  of  the  station,  but,  impatient  of  results,  I 
was  tempted  to  resign  and  return  to  America,  where  I  might 
do  something  satisfactory.  So,  writing  a  letter  of  resigna- 
tion, I  went  to  Constantinople,  to  lay  the  matter  before  the 
Committee  ad  Interim,  which  means  the  members  of  the  Con- 
stantinople station,  who  are  empowered  by  each  annual  meet- 
ing to  act  for  the  mission  in  the  interim  of  the  annual  meet- 
ings. I  was  invited  to  the  house  of  Dr.  H.  G.  0.  D wight, 
and  to  him  I  mentioned  my  purpose  to  resign  and  the  reasons 
therefor.  He  did  not  undertake  to  argue  the  matter  with 
me,  but  quietly  suggested  that  I  hold  the  letter  until  the 
annual  meeting,  and,  if  I  thought  best,  present  it  then  to  the 
meeting  for  consideration  and  advice.  This  counsel  struck 
me  as  sensible.  So  I  returned  home  with  the  letter  in  my 
pocket,  laid  it  aside,  and  never  thought  of  it  again  until  I 
happened  to  find  the  letter  after  some  50  years.  I  have 
never  ceased  to  be  grateful  to  the  wise  Dr.  Dwight. 

FIRST  IMPRESSIONS 

We  found  that  the  people  of  Turkey  were  agreeable  beyond 
what  we  had  anticipated.  We  were  pleased  with  their  polite- 
ness, their  cleanliness,  their  hospitality.  Yet  there  were 


REMINISCENCES  287 

strange  contradictions.  Beneath  a  pleasing  exterior  there 
often  lurked  insincerity  and  deceit.  In  the  case  of  the  Chris- 
tian population  this  was  the  natural  result  of  centuries  of  sub- 
jection. Then,  outwardly,  while  everybody  left  his  shoes  at 
the  door  and  was  very  careful  to  keep  his  house  clean,  the 
streets  of  the  towns  and  cities  were  dirty,  often  filthy. 

Simplicity  of  faith,  conscientiousness,  an  eagerness  for  the 
truth,  and  zeal  to  impart  it  to  others  characterized  the  native 
Protestants,  yet  in  too  many  members  of  the  churches  the 
spirit  of  worldliness  prevailed.  Much  Gospel  seed  had  been 
sown  throughout  the  land,  and  had  found  a  lodgment  in  many 
hearts,  but  our  brethren  needed  to  feel  that  with  themselves 
rested  the  responsibility  of  enlightening  the  minds  of  their 
countrymen  and  extending  the  kingdom  of  God;  that  it  was 
their  duty  not  only  to  save  their  own  souls,  but  also  the  souls 
of  others.  When  we  reached  Turkey  the  first  generation  of 
Protestants  was  rapidly  passing,  and  the  new  generation  had 
a  fresh  fight  with  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  Hence 
the  work  clearly  demanded  patient  and  loving  hearts  and 
willing  hands.  My  wife  and  I  could  but  cry  out,  Who  is  suf- 
ficient for  these  things? 

OUR  FIRST  ANNUAL  MEETING 

It  was  the  meeting  of  what  was  then  known  as  the  Northern 
Armenian  Mission.  Convening  on  June  6,  1859,  the  meeting 
continued  for  19  days.  There  were  present  20  male  mis- 
sionaries, including  not  only  the  Constantinople  mission- 
aries, but  also  delegates  from  Adrianople,  Nicomedia,  Yozgat, 
Cesarea,  Harpout,  Arabkir,  Tocat,  Bitlis,  with  Mr.  Walker 
from  the  Assyrian  Mission,  Mr.  Coifing  from  the  Southern 
Armenian  Mission,  and  Mr.  Rhea  from  the  Nestorian  Mission. 
With  wives  and  children  it  was  a  goodly  company,  and  in- 
cluded five  of  the  veteran  pioneers,  several  missionaries  of 
from  five  to  10  years'  experience,  and  several  others  who 


288  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

were  just  buckling  on  their  armor.  The  meetings  were  held, 
successively,  in  four  quarters  of  the  city,  at  places  from  three 
to  six  miles  apart.  Communication  was  mostly  by  water,  and 
much  time  was  spent  in  going  and  coming. 

At  the  opening  meeting  Dr.  Elias  Biggs,  the  chairman, 
made  deeply  interesting  remarks  on  the  source  of  our  help, 
and  Dr.  Schauffler  offered  prayer.  Throughout  the  meetings 
much  time  was  given  to  prayer  and  praise.  The  reports  read 
gave  full  information  respecting  the  state  of  the  country  and 
the  progress  of  the  missionary  work,  and  estimates  of  funds 
needed  for  the  year  to  come  were  considered  with  great  care. 
The  question  of  setting  off  the  stations  in  eastern  Asia  Minor 
as  a  separate  mission  was  discussed  at  length.  The  difficul- 
ties of  coming  to  Constantinople  from  points  from  500  to 
1,000  miles  away,  and  the  difficulty  of  settling  at  Constan- 
tinople many  questions  pertaining  to  distant  missionary  fields 
were  urged  as  reasons  for  a  division  of  the  Northern  Arme- 
nian Mission.  No  decision  was  made,  but  it  was  resolved  to 
hold  the  next  annual  meeting  at  Harpout,  and  there  the  di- 
vision of  the  mission  was  decided. 

Questions  pertaining  to  the  literary  department  of  the  mis- 
sion, to  theological  education,  to  Moslem  work,  and  religious 
liberty  for  Moslems  were  considered  at  length.  The  rebap- 
tism  of  converts  from  the  Oriental  churches  was  discussed 
with  warmth.  The  pioneer  missionaries  had  decided  not  to 
rebaptise  such  converts,  provided  the  convert  himself  was 
satisfied  with  his  baptism  in  the  national  church.  Three 
brethren  belonging  to  interior  stations  disagreed  with  this 
decision,  but  the  great  majority  of  those  present  upheld  the 
decision  of  the  pioneers,  while  they  disclaimed  power  to  con- 
trol the  action  of  individual  missionaries. 

To  the  new  missionaries  the  annual  meeting  was  an  oc- 
casion of  great  interest  and  profit.  It  brought  us  in  touch 
with  a  large  body  of  missionaries,  and  impressed  us  with  the 
fact  that  they  were  good  and  true  men,  and  at  the  same  time 


REMINISCENCES  289 

were  very  human.  It  gave  us  more  information  concerning 
the  state  of  the  work  in  Turkey  than  any  amount  of  reading 
and  correspondence  could  have  done.  During  the  ensuing 
50  years  it  was  my  privilege  to  attend  nearly  all  the  annual 
meetings  of  the  mission  either  as  delegate  or  secretary,  save 
those  which  occurred  during  my  absence  on  furlough.  Men 
and  themes  changed  from  year  to  year,  but  the  spirit  of 
brotherly  love  and  good  fellowship,  of  downright  sincerity 
and  devotion,  never  changed.  Of  all  the  missionaries  present 
at  the  meeting  of  1859,  I  am,  I  believe,  the  only  survivor. 

THE  MONEY  QUESTION 

For  15  years  the  whole  Nicomedia  field  was  under  the  care 
of  the  Constantinople  station,  but  in  1856  Rev.  Justin  W. 
Parsons  and -wife,  released  from  work  for  the  Jews,  were  put 
in  charge  of  this  field.  Made  station  treasurer  in  1859,  I 
found  the  monetary  situation  beset  with  not  a  few  difficulties. 
Beginning  at  the  time  of  the  Crimean  war  (1854M56),  the 
Turkish  government  had  issued  millions  of  liras  of  paper 
money,  which,  while  a  forced  currency,  had  no  guarantee 
except  the  government's  promise  to  pay.  Not  long  after  the 
war,  the  government,  in  desperate  need  of  gold  to  pay  the 
interest  on  its  public  debt,  largely  held  in  Europe,  violated  its 
pledge  to  receive  the  paper  money  in  payment  of  custom  dues, 
and,  finally,  refused  to  receive  the  paper  money  in  payment  of 
any  taxes  whatever.  So  for  nearly  20  years  the  value  of  the 
paper  money  changed  from  day  to  day,  until  at  last  it  was 
almost  valueless.  During  all  this  period  accounts  with  the 
mission  treasurer  were  kept  on  a  gold  basis,  the  Turkish  gold 
lira  ($4.40)  being  reckoned  at  100  piasters.  Hence  it  was 
no  easy  matter  to  keep  accounts  straight.  I  may  add  that  a 
like  issue  of  paper  money  occurred  at  the  time  of  the  Russo- 
Turkish  war  of  1877-78,  and  in  1914  the  government  was 
again  obliged  to  resort  to  the  same  expedient. 


290  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

The  salary  question  found  a  solution  through  experience. 
From  the  beginning  the  salaries  agreed  upon  by  the  mis- 
sionaries themselves  in  annual  meeting  have  been  approved 
by  the  Prudential  Committee  of  the  Board.  The  expense  of 
living  has  differed  from  place  to  place,  and  hence  salaries 
have  not  been  uniform,  save  that  missionaries  of  the  same  sta- 
tion have  received,  each,  the  same  salary,  with  an  addition 
according  to  the  growth  of  each  family.  All  salaries  have 
been  fixed  on  the  principle  of  providing  simply  for  a  comfort- 
able support.  Missionaries  are  expected  neither  to  run  into 
debt  nor  to  lay  up  money.  Whether  both  ends  are  made  to 
meet  depends  upon  the  domestic  economy  of  each  family. 
One  great  difficulty  of  the  missionary  is  to  answer  the  calls 
which  come  to  him  from  the  suffering  people  all  around  him. 

The  question  of  aid  to  native  workers  and  of  grants-in-aid 
to  churches  was  more  difficult  of  solution.  The  early  native 
laborers,  employed  as  evangelists  or  translators  or  colporters, 
were  dependent  on  the  mission  alone  for  support.  On  the 
organization  of  churches,  the  members  of  each  church,  in 
consultation  with  the  pastor  or  preacher  whom  they  called, 
fixed  the  amount  of  the  salary.  It  was  felt  by  the  mission- 
aries that  the  Pauline  method  of  leaving  each  Christian 
community  to  provide  for  its  own  ministerial  and  educational 
wants  ought  to  be  followed  whenever  possible.  Thus  the 
sense  of  responsibility  and  independence  would  be  developed 
from  the  beginning.  In  the  missions  of  some  societies,  as 
among  the  Karens  of  Burma  and  in  the  Uganda  mission  of 
Central  Africa,  this  has  happily  been  done.  In  Turkey,  how- 
ever, where  the  members  of  the  newly-formed  churches  were 
generally  both  few  and  poor,  and  where  an  educated  pastor 
must  be  supported,  grants-in-aid  were  made  to  the  church  on 
the  condition,  first,  that  the  amount  of  the  pastor's  salary 
be  such  that  ere  long  the  church  might  be  able  to  pay  the 
entire  salary,  and,  secondly,  that  the  amount  of  aid  be  dimin- 
ished from  year  to  year. 


REMINISCENCES  291 

In  the  early  period  the  aid  rendered  was  sometimes  too 
much,  and  was  continued  for  too  long  a  time.  People,  pressed 
by  taxation  and  unable  to  support  their  families  in  tolerable 
comfort,  plead  for  the  continuance  of  aid  with  almost  irresist- 
ible urgency.  At  length,  however,  the  rule  was  adopted  to 
delay  the  organization  of  a  church  until  the  people  were  ready 
to  pay  half  the  salary  of  the  pastor,  and  in  the  different 
stations  the  rule  was  enforced  with  more  or  less  strictness. 
Only  a  very  few  churches  were  able  to  assume  self-support 
from  the  beginning  of  their  organization.  In  1909,  however, 
the  number  of  self-supporting  churches  was  over  50,  or 
more  than  one-third  of  the  whole  number. 

In  the  Nicomedia  field  the  first  church  to  become  self- 
supporting  was  that  at  Adabazar,  a  city  some  80  miles  east  of 
Constantinople.  Eev.  Alexander  Jejizian,  newly  graduated 
from  Bebek  Seminary,  was  willing  to  become  pastor,  and  on 
such  a  salary  as  the  church  could  pay,  if  only  a  debt  resting 
upon  the  family  after  his  father's  death — a  debt  of  some  $500 
— was  removed.  So  eager  were  my  associate  and  myself  to 
see  the  church  placed  upon  a  self -supporting  basis  that  we 
personally  became  responsible  for  this  debt,  and  the  church 
became  self-supporting  in  1862.  The  pastor 's  salary  was  at 
first  about  $14  a  month,  but  after  his  marriage  it  was  in- 
creased to  $22  a  month,  and,  later,  to  a  somewhat  larger  sum, 
and  the  pastor,  occupying  his  mother's  house,  not  only  lived 
on  such  a  salary,  but  also  raised  and  educated  six  sons,  and 
continued  his  work  with  remarkable  influence  for  more  than 
30  years.  It  was  a  wonderful  ministry  over  a  model  church. 

By  reason  of  sickness  in  their  families,  the  ever-increasing 
cost  of  living,  and,  sometimes,  the  inability  of  the  churches 
to  pay  fully  what  they  had  promised,  pastors  were,  at  times, 
reduced  to  extremity  and  fell  into  debt.  Under  such  circum- 
stances appeals  were  often  made  to  the  missionaries  for  loans 
of  money.  It  was,  however,  soon  observed  that  it  was  much 
better  for  the  missionary  to  give  outright  what  he  was  able, 


292  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

rather  than  loan  money.  The  influence  of  the  missionary 
was  much  impaired  when  between  the  pastor  and  the  mis- 
sionary the  relation  of  debtor  and  creditor  existed. 

EEMOVAL  TO  BROUSA 

During  three  years  (1859-62)  my  associate  and  myself, 
sometimes  together  and  sometimes  separately,  made  many 
tours  through  our  extensive  field.  We  both  became  convinced 
that  the  field  was  too  large  for  efficient  administration  from 
Nicomedia  as  a  center.  The  situation  was  fully  set  forth  by 
Mr.  Parsons  in  the  annual  report  of  1862,  and  a  request  was 
made  to  the  annual  meeting  that  the  field  be  divided  into  two 
parts,  the  northern  part  to  be  occupied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Parsons,  with  Nicomedia  as  the  center,  and  the  southern  part 
to  be  occupied  by  myself  and  wife,  with  Brousa  as  the  center. 
The  request  was  granted,  with  the  understanding  that  we 
should  carry  on  the  work,  each  in  his  own  field  without  asso- 
ciates, because  we  were  so  near  to  Constantinople  that  we 
could  easily,  in  case  of  need,  consult  the  missionaries  there. 

With  our  little  boys  Joseph  and  Edward  we  reached 
Brousa  July  22,  1862,  and  there  for  six  years  had  a  very 
happy  home.  There  our  son  Frederick,  and  our  two  daugh- 
ters, Elizabeth  and  Fannie,  were  born.  Brousa  proved  more 
pleasant  and  healthful  than  Nicomedia,  where  we  all  had 
suffered  from  malaria.  I  had  kept  at  work,  but  only  with 
the  aid  of  frequent  doses  of  quinine.  Occasional  attacks  of 
fever,  however,  followed  me. 

In  the  sketch  of  Dr.  Schneider  reference  is  made  to  the 
historical  city  of  Brousa  and  to  the  inauguration  and  growth 
of  the  missionary  work.  After  his  departure  in  1848,  Brousa 
remained  without  a  missionary  until  our  arrival — 14  years. 
The  language  of  the  whole  province  was  mostly  Turkish,  and 
it  was  a  great  help  to  be  able  to  use  freely  both  Turkish  and 
Armenian.  There  were  already  three  evangelical  churches, 


REMINISCENCES  293 

and  Protestant  brethren  in  15  places,  from  10  to  200  miles 
distant  from  Brousa.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  have  as 
co-workers  two  pastors,  two  preachers,  two  teachers,  and  two 
colporters  with  three  other  helpers.  I  visited  them  all  once 
or  twice  a  year,  to  counsel  and  encourage  them,  to  remove 
differences,  to  relieve  the  persecuted,  to  preach  the  Gospel, 
administer  the  sacraments,  and  solemnize  marriages.  Such 
offices  devolved  on  me,  since,  outside  of  Brousa,  there  was 
but  one  ordained  man  among  all  my  co-laborers.  These  visits 
involved  long  and  wearisome  journeys  on  horseback,  and 
took  me  away  from  home  about  100  days  of  each  year. 
Within  four  months  I  traveled  800  miles,  and  during  10 
years'  residence  in  three  interior  cities — Nicomedia,  Brousa, 
and  Manisa — I  must  have  traveled,  mostly  on  horseback, 
10,000  miles.  These  journeys  were  attended  with  no  little 
danger,  for  the  roads  were  infested  with  highway  robbers,  as 
was  natural  in  a  land  where  the  government  was  weak  and 
where  men  were  made  desperate  by  oppression  and  poverty. 
Three  of  my  fellow  missionaries  were  killed  by  robbers — Mr. 
Merriam  and  Mr.  Coning  in  1862,  and  Mr.  Parsons  in  1880. 
Hence  it  was  a  joy  to  get  back  home  alive  from  each  succes- 
sive tour.  The  first  duty  on  reaching  home  was  to  fall  on  my 
knees  and  give  thanks  to  God,  and  the  second  duty  was  to  go 
into  an  outside  room  and  change  all  my  clothes,  for  on  return- 
ing from  my  tours  I  unfortunately  brought  with  me  guests 
my  wife  did  not  welcome. 

A  CALL  FOB  PRAYER 

The  civil  war  was  a  trying  time  for  missionaries.  No  words 
can  express  our  anxiety  and  distress  during  this  period.  My 
sister's  only  son,  a  son  of  Dr.  D wight,  two  sons  of  Dr. 
Schneider,  Mr.  Christie,  Mr.  Pettibone,  and  Mr.  Dunmore 
were  in  the  war,  and  four  of  them  lost  their  lives.  There  was 
no  Atlantic  cable  and  steamers  were  slow;  hence  we  had  to 


294  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

wait  long  for  news.  For  the  first  two  years  defeats  of  the 
Union  armies  were  many  and  victories  few,  and  the  first  news, 
coming  through  English  channels,  was  colored  by  prejudice. 
It  was  not  until  after  the  victories  of  Gettysburg  and  Vicks- 
burg  that  light  began  to  dispel  the  gloom,  and  assurance 
of  the  ultimate  victory  of  the  Union  cause  gladdened  our 
hearts. 

At  the  outset  of  the  war  the  officers  of  the  Board  sent  to 
all  missionaries  the  call  for  retrenchment.  Hence  advance 
movements  were  blocked,  some  schools  were  closed,  some 
native  workers  dismissed,  aid  to  churches  diminished,  and 
not  a  few  missionaries  strained  their  own  reduced  salaries 
to  help  sustain  the  work.  The  test  of  the  new  and  feeble 
churches  was  critical.  We  cried  to  God  that  the  faith  of  our 
co-workers  and  of  the  churches  might  not  fail. 

Another  call  for  prayer  arose  from  the  fact  that  in  some 
parts  of  the  mission  field  practical  Christianity  was  on  the 
wane.  The  reformation  had  been  primarily  one  of  doctrine; 
yet  the  end  aimed  at  was  reformation  in  Christian  living. 
It  was  with  great  grief  that  we  saw  signs  of  spiritual  decay. 
The  land  was  just  awakening  from  the  sleep  of  ages,  and 
few  realized  that  the  fruit  which  the  Master  of  the  vineyard 
demanded  was  a  holy  life. 

A  CONFLAGRATION 

In  the  cities  of  Turkey  where  the  houses  were  of  wood  and 
close  together,  the  streets  narrow,  the  water  supply  poor,  and 
fire  engines  lacking,  conflagrations  have  ever  been  frequent. 
Time  and  again  the  early  missionaries  in  Constantinople  were 
burned  out. 

On  September  19,  1863,  both  danger  and  deliverance  came 
to  us  in  Brousa.  In  the  afternoon  a  fire  broke  out  in  the 
Armenian  quarter  and  raged  until  midnight.  The  flames 
were  driven  up  the  hill  directly  towards  our  house,  but  while 


REMINISCENCES  295 

the  house  in  front  of  ours,  and  only  150  feet  away,  was 
burning,  the  wind  suddenly  changed  and  our  house  was  saved. 
Seeing  the  flames  advancing  my  wife  and  the  servant,  in  my 
absence,  packed  seven  boxes  of  books,  and  carried  our  bedding, 
furniture  and  clothing  to  a  neighboring  mulberry  garden. 
The  Lord  gave  to  the  dear  wife  wonderful  courage  and  calm- 
ness. Over  600  buildings  were  burned  and  4,000  people  were 
left  without  shelter.  News  of  the  fire  reached  me  in  Con- 
stantinople, and  the  next  day,  crossing  the  Sea  of  Marmora 
and  mounting  a  horse,  I  rode  20  miles  on  a  gallop  to  Brousa. 
The  burned  district  was  a  sad  sight,  stripped  of  shops,  houses, 
schools,  and  churches.  Yet  what  a  relief  to  find  the  brave, 
loving  wife  and  children  safe  and  our  house  and  goods  un- 
injured! With  heartfelt  gratitude  we  fell  on  our  knees  to 
thank  God  and  renew  our  consecration  to  his  service. 

A  TRIP  TO  EUROPE 

During  eight  years  in  Nicomedia  and  Brousa  my  wife  and 
I  had  many  attacks  of  malaria  and  had  become  debilitated. 
Hence  at  the  annual  meeting  in  May,  1867,  we  were  authorized 
to  visit  Frazensbad  in  Bohemia  at  once.  Dr.  E.  E.  Bliss  and 
wife  went  with  us.  Our  journey  up  the  Danube  by  steamer 
from  Ruschuk  to  Bazias,  and  thence  by  rail  to  Frazensbad 
was  very  interesting.  Frazensbad  is  distinguished  for  its 
mineral  waters  and  "mud"  baths.  One  lies  in  a  bathtub 
filled  with  peat  mud,  impregnated  with  iron,  for  15  minutes, 
and  finds  it  a  powerful  tonic.  Our  sojourn  of  six  weeks  was 
restful  and  invigorating. 

While  there  we  were  invited  by  the  British  Branch  of  the 
Evangelical  Alliance  to  attend  the  General  Conference  at 
Amsterdam,  all  our  expenses  to  be  paid  by  the  Alliance. 
This  organization,  centered  in  London  but  with  branches  in 
Europe,  had  shown  itself  friendly  to  our  work  by  demanding 
religious  liberty  for  our  persecuted  Protestants,  including 


296  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

some  30  baptized  Turks.  We  were  invited  to  Amsterdam 
to  report  as  to  the  evangelization  of  Turkey. 

The  Conference  was  a  great  success.  The  people  of  Am- 
sterdam did  all  they  could  to  make  it  pleasant  and  profitable. 
The  meetings,  presided  over  in  turn  by  the  ministers  of  the 
government,  were  held  in  a  large  hall  adorned  with  the  coats 
of  arms  of  the  principal  countries  of  Europe  and  America. 
There  were  present  237  foreign  guests,  including  Doctors 
Guthrie  and  McCosh  of  Scotland,  Krummacher,  Tholuck  and 
Lange  of  Germany,  Pastors  Fisch,  St.  Hilaire  and  Pressense 
of  France,  Prime  and  Schenck  of  America,  with  13  other 
Americans.  The  exercises  were  in  German,  French,  Dutch 
and  English.  All  dined  together  daily  in  a  large  hall. 
Elaborate  reports  on  the  state  of  Christianity  in  the  various 
countries  were  read.  The  report  from  America  ended  with 
an  invitation  that  the  next  General  Conference  be  held  in 
New  York.  Thanks  were  returned,  but  the  thought  was  ex- 
pressed that  America  had  no  need  of  the  Alliance.  English 
delegates  replied  that  the  Alliance  had  need  of  America. 
The  American  missionaries  expressed  thanks  that  they  and 
the  native  Protestants  had  often  been  favored  with  the 
friendly  protection  of  representatives  of  Great  Britain. 

The  chief  addresses  in  English  were  given  by  Prof.  McCosh 
and  Dr.  Guthrie,  and  the  writer  gave  an  address  on  "  Ameri- 
can Missions  in  Turkey." 

At  the  close  of  the  conference  the  "Fourth  National  Mis- 
sionary Feast "  of  Dutch  Christians  was  held  near  Haarlem, 
at  which  15,000  people  were  present.  At  this  meeting  Rev. 
Tomas  Boyajian  and  Dr.  E.  E.  Bliss  made  addresses. 

On  the  invitation  of  the  Turkish  Missions'  Aid  Society, 
organized  after  the  Crimean  war,  we  went  to  England,  and 
Dr.  Bliss  and  myself  addressed  missionary  meetings,  made 
up  mostly  of  members  of  the  Anglican  church.  During  our 
12  days'  stay,  we  had  delightful  interviews  with  many  English 
people. 


REMINISCENCES  297 

We  made  our  return  journey  via  Paris  and  Marseilles,  and 
reached  our  Brousa  home  in  October.  Thus  ended  a  journey 
of  17  weeks,  during  which  God  had  kept  us  from  accident  and 
sickness,  had  given  us  increased  strength,  and  the  opportunity 
of  speaking  a  word  for  his  cause  to  many  friends. 

ASSOCIATES 

We  entered  on  our  work  in  Brousa  in  1862  without  the 
expectation  of  missionary  associates,  but,  weakened  by  malar- 
ial fever,  obliged  to  make  long  and  wearisome  journeys,  with 
an  inadequate  force  of  native  laborers,  I  was  unable  to  bear 
the  strain.  Fortunately  Rev.  Sanford  Richardson  and  wife, 
on  their  return  from  America  in  August,  1866,  were  author- 
ized to  come  to  our  help.  I  was  thus  enabled  to  take  my 
family  to  a  town  on  the  Sea  of  Marmora  for  change  of  air 
and  sea-bathing,  but  the  fever  returned,  and  after  six  weeks 
we  started  for  home  by  way  of  Constantinople.  We  were 
entertained  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Riggs,  and  here  I  was  confined 
to  bed  for  several  weeks.  Quinine  no  longer  sufficed  to  break 
up  the  fever,  and  the  doctor  gave  me  a  mixture  of  arsenic. 
Thereupon  my  stomach  became  utterly  disordered.  I  seem 
to  have  been  saved  from  collapse  by  a  Turkish  drink  called 
"salep,"  made  from  the  flour  of  a  root  with  milk  and  sugar. 
Under  the  care  of  my  good  angel  I  slowly  recovered,  and  was 
able  to  return  to  Brousa  in  November.  This  was  the  only 
severe  illness  I  ever  had. 

FAREWELL  TO  BROUSA 

During  six  years'  residence  in  Brousa  that  on  which  my 
wife  and  I  expended  the  greatest  effort,  that  which  caused 
the  greatest  heart-ache  and  drew  forth  the  most  earnest 
prayer,  was  the  Brousa  church.  The  Gospel  seed  had  been 
sown  by  Dr.  Schneider.  With  aid  from  the  Hamlin  fund  a 
substantial  chapel  had  been  built,  and  a  parsonage  purchased. 


298  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

The  church  was  in  a  central  position,  able  to  exert  a  powerful 
and  beneficial  influence  on  the  whole  province.  During  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  Sdepan  Utudjian  (1850-61)  wide-awake 
young  men  and  women  were  added  to  its  membership.  The 
brethren  were  upright  and  estimable  men.  We  loved  the 
people  and  received  from  them  naught  but  kindness  and  ap- 
preciation. The  church  had  become  self-supporting,  and,  reck- 
oning from  the  beginning,  the  total  membership  numbered 
126.  With  all  this,  the  church  lacked  wise  spiritual  leader- 
ship, was  often  distracted  by  petty  differences,  and  from 
want  of  harmony  never  attained  the  growth  and  wide  in- 
fluence to  which  it  was  called  of  God. 

The  dearth  of  godly  and  able  workers  was  the  great  handi- 
cap in  all  our  work.  Three  preachers  came  to  us  from  the 
Central  Turkey  mission,  but  they  did  not  stay  long.  First 
alone,  and  then  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Richardson  and 
a  native  teacher,  I  taught  a  station  class  of  young  men,  hoping 
that  some  of  them  might  be  prepared  to  serve  village  congre- 
gations. Some  fruit  came  of  these  efforts,  but  not  such  as 
we  desired.  Hence  it  was  a  constant  grief  not  to  be  able  to 
secure  suitable  preachers  and  teachers  for  the  10  Protestant 
communities  scattered  over  a  field  200  miles  long  and  100 
broad. 

In  two  places  I  had  special  rejoicing.  One  was  a  Greek 
town  called  Demirdash,  of  several  thousand  inhabitants,  five 
miles  from  Brousa.  Greek  friends  in  this  place  became  en- 
lightened through  interviews  with  brethren  of  the  Brousa 
church,  and  for  years  patiently  endured  persecution  at  the 
hands  of  Greek  ecclesiastics.  In  1866  the  Protestant  com- 
munity of  Demirdash  numbered  82  souls,  and  a  chapel  was 
completed,  which  cost  $700.  Most  of  this  money  was  given 
in  America  through  the  soliciting  of  Rev.  Mr.  Kalopothakes, 
a  zealous  Greek  who  was  educated  in  America  and  labored 
for  50  years  in  Athens.  Finally,  in  1867,  a  church  of  13 
members  was  organized,  and  Mr.  Apostle  Egyptiades  was 


REMINISCENCES  299 

invited  to  be  the  preacher,  and  served  the  church  for  several 
years,  until  called  to  a  larger  field.  I  grieve  to  say  that  in 
after  years  this  church,  by  reason,  in  part,  of  the  inability 
of  the  American  Board  to  render  aid,  was  left  without 
preacher  or  teacher.  The  original  members  died,  some  of 
their  children  moved  away,  some  returned  to  the  national 
church,  and  the  chapel  was  closed.  On  my  visit  to  the  place 
shortly  before  leaving  Turkey,  a  Greek  friend  who  went  with 
me  through  the  town  kept  repeating  the  Turkish  words, 
"Koyoun  choU,  choban  yok,"  "Many  sheep,  no  shepherd. " 
Alas  that  this  should  be  the  epitaph  of  the  first  Greek  evan- 
gelical church  in  Turkey! 

One  hundred  miles  east  of  Brousa  there  is  a  group  of  five 
Armenian  villages,  with  a  total  population  of  20,000.  On  my 
first  visit  to  the  central  village  called  Mouradchai,  there  was 
one  man  named  Bedros,  whose  Christian  spirit  and  love  of 
the  Bible  impressed  me.  He  was  employed  by  a  Turk  of  a 
neighboring  village  to  take  care  of  his  silk  worms,  and  in 
intervals  of  rest  was  wont  to  read  the  Turkish  New  Testament 
to  the  Turks  who  gathered  around  him.  At  the  close  of  the 
silk  worm  season,  it  happened  to  this  Turk  as  to  many  others 
that  the  silk  worms  failed  to  furnish  any  cocoons,  whereupon 
the  Turk,  declaring  that  Bedros  had  neglected  his  business  in 
order  to  read  the  Bible,  beat  him  so  severely  that  he  died. 
The  example  of  Bedros  in  his  life,  and  in  his  prayers  for  his 
enemy  while  on  his  death  bed,  greatly  impressed  the  people, 
and  soon  after  he  died,  15  Armenians  petitioned  us  to  send 
them  a  preacher.  In  1865  I  visited  Mouradchai  and  held 
meetings  for  five  days.  The  Protestant  community,  organized 
the  year  before,  numbered  98  souls.  Out  of  extreme  poverty 
$80  was  given  in  one  year  for  their  school,  and  $30  for  Bibles. 
They  promised  $400  for  a  chapel,  if  an  equal  sum  could  be 
secured  from  the  West  Building  Fund.  The  chapel  was  built, 
and  in  1865  a  church  of  nine  members  was  organized,  and 
put  for  a  time  under  the  care  of  the  pastor  at  Bilijik. 


300  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

For  years  the  church  grew,  but  owing  'to  the  death  of 
original  members  and  the  poverty  of  the  people  did  not  attain 
full  self-support.  In  1894  aid  was  discontinued,  and  since 
that  time  the  church  has  been  disintegrating.  Dermidash  and 
Mouradchai,  fruit  of  my  early  love  and  most  earnest  efforts — 
I  grieve  over  them  as  over  lost  children ! 

Our  successors  in  the  Brousa  field  were  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Schneider,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baldwin, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Crawford,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McNaughton. 
The  Schneiders,  Crawfords,  and  McNaughtons  remained  but 
a  short  time.  In  about  half  the  outstations  services  have 
been  maintained  up  to  the  present  time  (1915),  and  in  two 
villages  new  churches  have  been  organized  and  chapels  built. 

A  bright  feature  has  been  the  Girls  Boarding  School, 
inaugurated  and  for  many  years  managed  by  Mrs.  Baldwin, 
with  wise  and  unwearied  efforts,  and  supported  by  the  Wom- 
an's Board  of  the  Pacific.  Miss  Cull,  Miss  Allen,  and  Miss 
Jillson  have  in  turn  had  charge.  For  its  high  intellectual 
and  religious  culture  the  school  has  been  a  great  joy  to  the 
people. 

OUR  FIRST  FURLOUGH 

On  returning  to  Brousa  from  our  European  trip,  we  had 
resumed  our  labors  with  fresh  courage,  but  after  several 
months  malarial  fever  again  appeared,  and  in  May,  1868,  the 
annual  meeting,  on  the  advice  of  Doctors  West  and  Pratt, 
authorized  our  return  to  America.  After  nine  years  and 
seven  months,  we  left  our  work  and  friends  with  great  re- 
luctance, and  reached  Boston,  August  16,  1868,  much,  im- 
proved by  the  voyage  of  7,000  miles.  It  was  10  o'clock  at 
night  before  we  reached  the  wharf  where  the  big  steamer  was 
made  fast.  Relatives  and  friends  had  been  waiting  five 
hours.  When  they  caught  sight  of  us  they  began  to  sing: 

"Home  again,  home  again,  from  a  foreign  shore." 


REMINISCENCES  301 

Nothing  would  satisfy  our  relatives  save  that  we  go  home 
with  them  that  night.  Five  children  were  fast  asleep  in  their 
berths,  but  kind  ladies  helped  dress  the  children,  and  we  were 
soon  taken  to  the  home  of  our  sister  and  her  husband,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  A.  N.  Hardy. 

The  officers  of  the  Board  warmly  welcomed  us.  The  wise 
Dr.  Anderson  has  resigned,  but  the  warm-hearted  Dr.  Clark 
had  taken  his  place.  Downright  earnest  and  outspoken  man, 
what  searching  questions  he  had  to  ask!  It  was  a  great  joy 
to  meet  in  Boston  my  sister  Harriet  and  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Corbett;  also  my  Aunt  Jane  Miller,  just  before  her  death. 
She  was  a  saintly  woman,  whom  as  a  boy  I  loved  and  rever- 
enced. What  a  delight  to  meet  James  Merriam,  my  room- 
mate of  1850,  Mr.  Little,  the  head  of  the  firm  which  I  served, 
and  half  a  dozen  other  dear  friends  of  my  youth  who  had 
happily  married,  but  who,  alas,  had  not  a  child  in  their 
beautiful  homes ! 

On  Sunday  I  preached  at  Auburndale,  and  what  was  my 
surprise  when  Deacon  Burr  sent  me  $20.  What  a  joy  to  the 
missionary  to  be  able  to  pay  his  own  expenses  and  save  the 
Board 's  money ! 

After  seeing  many  dear  friends,  we  came  to  my  wife 's  home 
in  Lewiston,  Maine,  most  grateful  for  God's  abounding 
mercies  during  the  long  separation.  Here  for  six  years  I 
had  spent  most  happy  vacations,  and  had  helped  on  the  farm ; 
here  we  were  married ;  and  here  again  we  found  the  old  oaken 
bucket,  and  the  flat  top  apple  tree,  laden  with  delicious  fruit ! 
Were  there  ever  such  pies  and  cakes  and  brown  bread  and 
baked  beans  as  came  forth  again  from  the  same  old  brick 
oven! 

ANNUAL,  MEETING  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BOARD 

In  October  we  attended  the  meeting  of  the  Board  at  Nor- 
wich, Conn.,  a  good  meeting  where  elaborate  papers  were  read 


302  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

by  the  secretaries,  and  addresses  given  by  two  missionaries. 
At  a  meeting  of  ladies  my  wife  made  a  brief  address  which 
greatly  pleased  the  audience.  She  told  them  that  with  her 
the  missionary  and  the  maternal  questions  were  settled  at  the 
same  time.  One  good  lady,  wealthy  and  intelligent,  sent  a 
friend  to  beg  of  her  the  gift  of  one  of  her  little  daughters. 

That  which  most  interested  me  was  a  long  and  earnest 
discussion  on  the  question  of  how  to  care  for  retired  mission- 
aries and  for  the  children  of  missionaries  sent  to  America 
for  education.  Dr.  Poor,  missionary  from  India,  made  the 
best  speech.  He  declared  that  what  was  needed  was  a  fund 
for  the  support  of  retired  missionaries  and  the  education  of 
missionary  children.  If  there  were  such  a  fund  the  Board 
would  no  longer  be  obliged  to  take  money  for  these  objects 
from  the  current  gifts  of  the  churches.  In  order  to  save  its 
revenue  for  the  regular  missionary  work  the  Board  had  wisely 
gathered  special  funds  for  various  objects.  Why  not  secure 
a  special  fund  for  retired  missionaries  and  missionary  chil- 
dren? Such  a  fund,  he  was  sure,  would  be  a  great  relief  to 
the  minds  of  missionaries.  To  all  of  which  I  said  Amen! 
Maybe  Dr.  Poor's  proposition  will  sometime  be  accepted. 

A  HOME  AT  LAST 

Before  and  after  the  meeting  of  the  Board  at  Norwich  wife 
and  I  made  many  missionary  addresses  and  had  to  decline 
many  more.  We  were  anxious  to  find  a  place  of  residence 
where  we  might  get  rid  of  malaria.  Our  friends,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hobart,  had  sent  their  invalid  son  to  Faribault,  Minn., 
and  the  Rev.  James  W.  Strong,  pastor  in  that  place,  whom 
we  met  at  Norwich,  strongly  urged  us  to  go  there.  This 
seemed  a  providential  opening. 

We  journeyed  west  to  Athens,  Ohio,  where  we  spent  11 
days  with  my  mother.  Tears  of  joy  ran  down  her  cheeks 


REMINISCENCES  303 

as  she  embraced  her  son  and  daughter  and  five  grandchildren, 
and  we  thanked  God  together  for  permitting  us  to  meet  once 
more.  We  had  short  visits  with  my  brothers  in  Lancaster 
and  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  reached  Faribault,  December,  1868. 
At  the  station  were  Pastor  Strong  and  Deacon  Russell  with 
their  sleighs,  who  took  us  to  the  house  which  friends  had 
hired  for  us,  and  which  they  had  provided  with  a  big  base 
burner  and  other  furniture.  The  ladies  of  Plymouth  church 
served  us  a  hot  supper,  and  left  a  week 's  supply  of  food.  Did 
ever  missionary 's  family  receive  a  more  generous  welcome ! 
With  five  little  children,  safely  to  have  reached  the  end  of 
a  journey  of  8,500  miles  and  of  five  months'  duration — 
surely  no  one  will  wonder  that  our  hearts  burst  with  praise 
and  thanksgiving.  Such  was  the  warmth  of  our  welcome 
that  we  forgot  the  intense  cold,  thirty  below  zero.  My  wife 
hung  up  her  dress  on  the  wall  of  the  bedroom,  and  in  the 
morning  the  frost  held  it  fast. 

LIFE  IN  MINNESOTA 

To  fully  recover  health,  the  officers  of  the  Board  thought 
best  that  we  remain  in  Minnesota  two  winters.  This  was 
wise,  for  it  took  a  long  time  to  freeze  out  all  the  microbes 
which  we  had  brought  from  Turkey,  and  to  recover  vigor  of 
body. 

During  our  residence  in  Faribault,  the  kindness  of  the 
pastor  and  members  of  Plymouth  church  never  ceased.  One 
evening  I  gave  an  address  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation, and,  returning  home,  found  that  a  lively  company 
of  80  ladies  and  gentlemen  had  taken  possession  of  our  house, 
had  made  a  kettleful  of  coffee,  had  loaded  the  table  with 
cake  and  pies  and  had  filled  the  pantry  with  good  things. 
Soon  my  wife  and  eldest  son,  dressed  in  Turkish  costume, 
came  out  to  welcome  me  in  Oriental  style.  Professor  Noyes 


304  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

of  the  Blind  Asylum  expressed  the  pleasure  of  Plymouth 
church  that  we  had  come  to  sojourn  among  them,  and  offered 
us  the  freedom  of  the  town ! 

I  was  very  glad  to  be  able  from  time  to  time  to  aid  the 
pastor  by  preaching,  especially  during  his  recovery  from  a 
severe  accident  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  1870. 

While  in  Faribault,  I  was  invited  to  preach  in  many  places, 
and  for  some  weeks  supplied  the  pulpits  at  McGregor  and 
Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  Jackson,  Mich.  I  also  gave  addresses 
on  " Turkey,  Past  and  Present,"  " Turkey  and  the  Turks, " 
"  Faith  in  the  Success  of  Christian  Missions  Confirmed  by 
the  Providence  of  God,"  etc.  It  was  a  great  joy  that  in 
visiting  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  and  Illinois,  I  was  fav- 
ored, in  every  case,  by  a  direct  invitation  from  the  pastor. 
Thus  I  was  sure  of  a  generous  welcome.  The  morning  service 
was  given  me,  and  in  many  places  I  addressed  union  meetings 
at  which  from  two  to  five  pastors  were  present.  I  told  the 
origin  and  growth  of  the  missions  in  Turkey,  and  presented  a 
bird's  eye  view  of  the  work.  I  asked  for  no  collection  for  the 
Board,  and  no  compensation  for  myself,  but  pastors  or  church 
committees  always  paid  my  traveling  expenses,  and  saved 
me  from  the  necessity  of  drawing  on  the  Board.  It  was  an 
ideal  arrangement  and  brought  me  in  happy  touch  with 
pastors  and  their  families.  Interviews  with  pastors  in  their 
homes  enabled  me  to  say  many  things  to  arouse  their  interest 
in  missions  which  I  could  not  say  in  public.  Thus  during  our 
stay  in  Minnesota,  I  gave  more  than  200  addresses  and  ser- 
mons and  met  in  their  homes  and  at  state  conferences  over 
500  pastors. 

Physically,  socially  and  spiritually  our  first  furlough  was 
of  great  advantage  to  the  whole  family.  The  climate  of 
Minnesota  invigorated  us.  The  fellowship  of  Christian  peo- 
ple gave  us  refreshment  and  stimulus.  Our  little  boys  were 
able  to  go  to  school,  and  two  of  them  united  with  Plymouth 
church.  Declining  three  invitations  to  accept  a  pastorate, 


KOURDISH  CASTLE  NEAR  VAN,  EUINED  BY  TURKS 

The    Armenian    villagers    were    better    off    under    the    old 

Kourdish    feudal    chiefs    who    at    least    protected 

them    from    exploitation    by    others. 


REMINISCENCES  305 

and  thankful  to  God  for  good  health,  we  prepared  to  resume 
our  missionary  work. 

SECOND  DEPARTURE  FOR  TURKEY 

Again  bidding  farewell  to  friends,  we  sailed  on  May  11, 
1871,  and  arrived  at  Constantinople  on  June  5,  24  days  from 
Boston,  including  stops  of  two  days,  each,  in  Liverpool  and 
London.  On  passing  down  the  Bosphorus  we  were  delighted 
to  see,  high  up  on  the  bluff  on  the  European  side  of  the  strait, 
half  way  between  the  Black  Sea  and  Constantinople,  the 
first  grand  building  of  Robert  College,  fittingly  called  Hamlin 
Hall. 

A  NEW  FIELD  OF  LABOR 

In  order  that  we  might  avoid  fresh  attacks  of  malaria  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Western  Turkey  Mission,  then  in  ses- 
sion in  Constantinople,  voted  to  locate  us  at  Manisa — the 
ancient  Magnesia — on  the  plain  of  Lydia,  41  miles  by  rail 
northwest  of  Smyrna.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Theodore  A.  Baldwin 
had  but  recently  settled  there.  Dr.  N.  G.  Clark,  secretary 
of  the  Board,  who  was  present  at  the  annual  meeting,  said 
that  the  Board  wished  to  make  Manisa  a  strong  station,  with 
three  married  missionaries  and  two  young  ladies  for  a  girls' 
school,  together  with  a  station  class  for  young  men  which 
might  develop  into  a  theological  school  for  Greeks.  Thus 
there  loomed  before  us  the  view  of  a  delightful  service.  We 
reached  Manisa,  June  20,  1871. 

The  section  of  western  Asia  Minor,  which  included  the  sites 
of  the  seven  churches  of  the  Apocalypse,  had  been  occupied 
by  missionaries  of  the  Board  for  40  years.  Smyrna  was  the 
centor  of  their  literary  labor.  In  this  seat  of  money-making 
and  pleasure-loving  people,  however,  spiritual  fruit  was  dis- 
appointing. So  when  in  1870  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baldwin  were 
sent  to  cultivate  this  field,  it  was  thought  best  that  they  reside, 


306  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

not  in  Smyrna,  but  in  Manisa.  Smyrna,  however,  was  the 
capital  of  the  province,  and  the  real  center  of  influence,  and 
after  a  few  years  again  became  a  missionary  station. 

Manisa,  situated  at  the  base  of  Mount  Sipylus,  with  the 
great  plain  of  Lydia  in  front,  through  which  ran  the  classical 
Hermus,  was  a  pleasant  place  of  residence.  The  city  had  a 
population  of  35,000 — Turks,  Greeks,  and  Armenians.  The 
chief  drawback  was  the  heat,  ranging  for  months  from  80  to 
100  degrees.  The  air,  however,  was  dry,  and  nearly  every 
afternoon  there  was  a  refreshing  breeze.  By  authorization 
we  purchased  a  Turkish  house,  large  enough  for  our  two 
families  and  a  girls '  school, '  and  furnished  with  abundant 
water,  fresh  from  the  mountains.  Here,  in  August,  George, 
our  fourth  son  was  born. 

The  spiritual  aspects  of  the  work  were  not  without  en- 
couragement. The  ecclesiastics  looked  upon  us  as  intruders, 
but  not  a  few  Greeks  and  Armenians  welcomed  us  as  bringers 
of  good  tidings  and  teachers  of  a  pure  Christianity.  Indeed, 
quite  a  number  of  families  had  professed  themselves  Protes- 
tants, and  for  a  year  or  more  regular  worship  had  been  main- 
tained. A  few  Turks  also  came  to  almost  every  religious 
service.  Eventually  a  Greek  evangelical  church  was  formed, 
which  with  some  aid  from  the  mission,  built  a  chapel  and  for 
years  had  an  encouraging  growth.  In  December,  1871,  Miss 
Phoebe  Cull  arrived  and  in  due  time  opened  a  school  for 
girls. 

Thirty-six  miles  from  Manisa  is  the  ancient  city  of  Thy- 
atira  (Rev.  2:  18-29),  called  by  the  Turks  Ak  Hissar.  None 
of  its  ancient  glory  survives.  Though  situated  in  a  very 
fertile  region,  growing  wheat,  cotton,  fruits,  and  madder- 
root,  it  is  a  poverty-stricken  place,  and  the  poverty  is  due  to 
intemperance  and  laziness.  In  1871  Thyatira  had  a  popu- 
lation of  15,000,  of  whom  two-thirds  were  Turks  and  the 
remainder  Greeks  and  Armenians.  For  20  years  there  had 
been  a  small  evangelical  church  in  the  place,  but  its  growth 


REMINISCENCES  307 

had  been  hindered  by  quarrels  among  the  brethren  and  in- 
efficient preachers. 

Sixty-four  miles  east  of  Smyrna  is  the  city  of  Aidin,  of 
20,000  inhabitants,  mostly  Turks  and  Greeks.  Here  are  found 
many  remains  of  antiquity  in  the  shape  of  marble  columns, 
pedestals,  capitals,  statues,  and  sarcophagi.  Aidin  gives  its 
name  to  the  province.  Thirty-eight  products  of  the  soil  are 
said  to  be  exported  from  this  province.  The  fig,  however,  is 
the  great  specialty.  What  is  known  throughout  Europe  and 
America  as  the  Smyrna  fig  is  produced  only  in  this  province. 
Other  varieties  of  fig  are  delicious  fruit  when  ripe,  but  the 
Smyrna  fig  is  the  only  one  fit  for  export.  In  1871,  40,000 
camel  loads  of  figs  were  sent  to  Smyrna  for  export. 

On  my  first  visit  to  Aidin  I  lodged  with  a  Greek  Protestant, 
who  had  given  to  the  Board  a  house  which  was  used  as  a 
chapel.  The  evangelical  work  had  been  in  progress  for  a 
dozen  years  and  a  church  of  15  members  had  been  formed. 
It  was  a  great  hindrance  to  the  work  that  the  weekly  market 
day  was  on  Sunday.  The  observance  of  the  Sabbath  there- 
fore was  a  severe  test  of  the  sincerity  and  firmness  of  the 
brethren,  and  some  of  them  backslid.  Here  too,  as  at  Thya- 
tira,  and  indeed  throughout  the  province,  intemperance  and 
sodomy  were  fearfully  prevalent.  How  difficult  to  evolve 
a  pure,  spiritual,  Christian  community  among  such  a  people ! 

The  history  of  the  Smyrna  church  saddened  our  hearts. 
After  a  period  of  30  years,  during  which  many  worthy 
preachers  and  missionaries  had  labored  in  Smyrna,  there  re- 
mained but  three  families  of  the  original  Protestants.  The 
church  had  been  depleted  by  death,  by  the  lack  of  harmony, 
and  by  the  spiritual  leanness  of  the  survivors.  I  found,  how- 
ever, quite  a  number  of  new  brethren,  and  with  them  and 
other  Christian  friends  I  had  sweet  intercourse.  For  a  year 
I  came  frequently  to  Smyrna,  to  preach  and  visit  among  the 
people.  The  Protestant  chapel  was  an  uninviting  structure 
in  an  undesirable  quarter,  but  in  after  years  by  the  labors 


308  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

of  our  successor,  Eev.  Marcellus  Bowen,  a  respectable  church 
was  erected  in  a  central  position,  and  came  to  be  used  by  two 
good-sized  congregations,  one  of  Armenians  and  one  of  Greeks. 
Under  the  able  ministrations  of  Armenian  and  Greek  pastors 
these  congregations  became  efficient  and  self-supporting 
churches.  Among  the  Greeks  Rev.  George  Constantine  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Moschow  labored  for  years  with  marked  success. 

On  educational  lines  missionary  labor  in  Smyrna  has  been 
remarkably  successful.  Even  worldly-minded  Greeks  and 
Armenians  and  Turks  were  ready  to  pay  for  the  education 
of  their  children  and  were  glad  to  have  them  in  a  pure  moral 
atmosphere.  Witness  the  Normal  Kindergarten  school,  es- 
tablished by  Miss  Nellie  S.  Bartlett,  the  American  Collegiate 
Institute  for  girls  long  under  the  care  of  Miss  Emily  Mc- 
Callum,  and  the  International  College,  remarkably  developed 
by  Dr.  Alexander  MacLachlan. 

In  half  a  dozen  other  towns  and  cities  in  the  Smyrna  field 
Protestant  congregations  have  been  gathered,  and  in  some 
of  them  evangelical  churches  have  been  formed.  In  the 
flourishing  towns  of  Pergamos  and  Philadelphia,  each  with  a 
large  Greek  population,  there  were  evangelical  brethren,  but 
no  organized  Protestant  community.  The  sites  of  the  other 
three  of  the  Seven  Churches,  namely  Sardis,  Laodicea,  and 
Ephesus,  have  long  been  but  heaps  of  ruins.  The  ruins  of 
Ephesus  are  near  the  railway  station  midway  between  Aidin 
and  Smyrna.  Modern  excavations  have  uncovered  the  an- 
cient city  and  the  site  of  the  temple  of  Diana,  and  Ephesus 
is  a  place  easy  of  access  and  well  worth  visiting. 

For  four  months  of  1872  Mr.  Baldwin  and  myself  and  a 
Greek  teacher  taught  a  station  class  of  five  young  men,  three 
of  whom  became  helpers  in  the  missionary  work,  and  one, 
Mr.  Pandeli  Philadelphefs,  after  a  theological  course  in  the 
seminary  at  Marsovan,  became  pastor  of  the  evangelical  Greek 
church  at  Ordou  near  Trebizond.  He  has  been  an  able 
preacher,  a  wise  administrator,  a  friend  of  everybody,  greatly 


REMINISCENCES  309 

beloved.  In  a  ministry  of  more  than  30  years  he  saw  his 
church  grow  to  a  membership  of  several  hundred,  and  become 
self-supporting,  active,  influential,  the  largest  Greek  evangeli- 
cal church  in  Turkey.  I  found  out  the  worth  of  the  man 
while  he  was  our  cook,  and  no  single  service  in  my  missionary 
life  gave  me  so  much  satisfaction  as  to  have  helped  introduce 
this  man  to  the  ministry. 

CALLED  TO  CONSTANTINOPLE 

While  at  Manisa  I  received  repeated  calls  from  the  Central 
Turkey  Mission  to  teach  in  the  theological  seminary  at  Marash. 
It  was  a  call  to  a  very  attractive  service,  but  I  referred  the 
decision  to  the  mission  to  which  I  belonged,  and  the  mission 
in  May,  1872,  decided  the  question  by  inviting  me  to  come  to 
Constantinople,  to  edit  our  weekly  religious  newspaper,  the 
Avedaper,  published  in  three  forms — Armenian,  Armeno- 
Turkish,  and  Greco-Turkish — and  three  illustrated  monthly 
papers  for  children.  The  cordiality  of  the  invitation  was 
very  gratifying,  and  I  was  glad  to  come  to  the  help  of  Dr. 
E.  E.  Bliss,  who  had  borne  the  burden  of  editorship  for  12 
years.  We  parted  with  regret  from  the  friends  in  Manisa 
and  Smyrna. 

Arriving  at  Constantinople,  we  took  up  our  residence  in 
the  house,  in  Bebek,  which  Dr.  Hamlin  had  built  with  the 
stone  of  his  famous  bakery.  On  the  other  side  of  the  street 
was  Bebek  Seminary,  where  Dr.  Hamlin  had  labored  for  20 
years  to  prepare  young  men  for  the  ministry,  and  where  for 
seven  years  he  had  taught  the  first  classes  of  Robert  College. 
The  village  of  Bebek,  built  on  the  sides  of  a  little  valley  ex- 
tending from  the  shore  of  the  Bosphorus  to  the  top  of  the 
bluff,  had  long  been  a  favorite  place  of  residence  for  English 
and  American  families.  Here  for  26  years  we  had  a  happy 
home.  Here  the  English  speaking  people  formed  a  union 
church,  of  members  from  half  a  dozen  English,  Scotch,  and 


310  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

American  denominations,  and  for  over  a  half  century  worked 
and  worshiped  together  with  the  utmost  harmony.  Dr.  Wil- 
liam G.  Schauffler  was  the  first  pastor,  and  after  his  retire- 
ment, in  1873,  I  was  chosen  to  succeed  him,  both  of  us  serving 
without  compensation.  At  our  invitation  missionaries,  teach- 
ers tif  Robert  College,  and  other  ministers  filled  the  pulpit. 

A  GREAT  BEREAVEMENT 

At  the  beginning  of  our  missionary  service  in  Constanti- 
nople, the  first  lesson  the  Heavenly  Father  taught  us  was  one 
of  sorrow  and  submission.  In  September  we  sent  our  chil- 
dren to  school;  the  two  oldest  boys,  Joseph  and  Edward,  to 
the  preparatory  department  of  Eobert  College,  and  our  third 
boy,  Frederick,  and  his  sisters,  Lizzie  and  Fannie,  to  a  private 
school  in  Bebek.  Hardly  three  weeks  had  elapsed  when  the 
little  girls  were  seized  with  diphtheria,  and  after  a  few  days 
died,  Fannie  on  October  16,  aged  five  and  a  half,  and  Lizzie 
on  October  24,  aged  eight  years.  Like  gazelles  on  the  moun- 
tain, they  had  never  been  ill.  We  knew  not  what  the  disease 
was  till  they  were  dead. 

At  the  two  funerals  many  sympathizing  friends  were 
present.  Dr.  Schauffler,  Dr.  Hamlin,  and  others  spoke  sweet 
and  tender  words,  and  the  children  of  the  school  sang  beauti- 
ful hymns.  The  little  bodies  were  buried  in  the  missionary 
cemetery  on  the  top  of  the  hill  above  our  house,  a  sweet  resort 
for  prayers  and  tears. 

Fannie  was  our  pet,  always  yearning  for  love  and 
caresses.  At  the  evening  prayers  she  always  had  her  verse, 
and  'before  she  breathed  her  last  she  said  to  her  mother, 
" Mamma,  when  I  go  to  heaven,  I  will  get  right  up  in  Jesus' 
lap,  and  will  say  to  him,  'Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  me,'  and  all  the  verses  I  know."  Precious  Gospel! 
which  tells  us  of  a  Saviour  whom  a  little  five-year-old  girl 
could  know  and  love  and  trust ! 


REMINISCENCES  311 

Lizzie  was  her  mother's  helper,  caring  for  baby  George 
and  busy  about  the  home  from  morning  till  night.  The  little 
girls  were  beautiful  complements  to  one  another.  Once  a 
lady  guest,  observing  how  sweetly  the  children  played  to- 
gether, said  to  Fannie,  "How  is  it  that  you  and  your  sister 
never  quarrel?"  "Why,"  said  Fannie,  "Lizzie  lets  me  and 
I  let  her." 

Thus  once  and  again  the  Lord  smote  us;  in  love,  however, 
not  in  anger.  He  came  to  transplant  to  his  heavenly  garden 
our  two  sweetest  lilies. 

In  1874  the  Lord  comforted  our  hearts  by  the  gift  of  a 
third  daughter,  whom  in  gratitude  we  named  Grace.  For 
five  years  she  brightened  our  home,  but  in  1879  she  too,  dying 
of  a  throat  distemper,  was  added  to  our  treasures  in  heaven. 

EDITORIAL  EXPERIENCES 

For  the  publication  of  the  mission  periodicals  I  received  a 
permit  from  the  Turkish  minister  for  foreign  affairs,  and 
signed  a  paper  making  myself  amenable  to  Turkish  law  so 
far  as  the  periodicals  were  concerned.  In  regard  to  all  our 
publications  the  missionaries  have  ever  been  scrupulous  to 
conform  to  Turkish  regulations.  Never  once  in  95  years 
has  any  book  or  tract  or  newspaper  been  published  by  the 
mission  secretly  or  under  any  disguise.  Whether  we  liked 
it  or  not  we  obeyed  the  law.  Since  we  lived  in  Turkey  this 
was  no  more  than  our  duty. 

Yet  the  press  law,  especially  under  the  rule  of  Sultan 
Abdul  Hamid,  was  rigorous  and  arbitrary.  We  were  for- 
bidden to  use  in  publications  such  words  as  Armenia,  Mace- 
donia, liberty,  union,  and  many  others.  We  could  not  criti- 
cise any  Turkish  official  or  any  act  of  the  government.  On 
the  contrary,  we  were  expected  to  take  notice,  in  a  manner 
highly  complimentary,  of  the  Sultan's  birthday,  the  anni- 
versary of  his  accession  to  the  throne,  and  various  other  pub- 


312  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

lie  functions.  The  day  before  the  publication  of  the  papers 
two  censors  came  to  our  office  in  the  Bible  House,  to  read 
the  entire  proofs.  They  deleted  words,  sentences,  paragraphs, 
or  whole  columns  at  pleasure.  Whatever  was  deleted,  no 
blank  space  was  to  appear,  and  for  all  new  matter  the  editor 
was  held  personally  responsible.  So  we  had  to  keep  on  hand 
all  sorts  of  emergency  material.  Signed  copies  of  the  papers 
were  sent  at  once  to  the  press  bureau  and  there  the  papers 
were  scrutinized  afresh,  and  woe  to  the  censor  who  failed  to 
please  his  superior.  In  spite  of  all  this  rigor  the  missionaries 
have  always  been  on  good  terms  with  both  the  censors  and  the 
press  bureau.  Qur  papers  during  50  years  were  suspended 
only  thrice  and  for  a  few  days.  Other  editors,  whether  native 
or  foreign,  Turks  or  Christians,  have  frequently  been  called 
to  account,  and  have  been  subjected  to  fines,  suspension,  or 
suppression. 

Whatever  success  may  have  attended  my  editorial  service 
was  largely  due  to  my  faithful  assistants. 

Mr.  Andon  Karakashian,  the  chief  translator,  a  quiet, 
modest  man,  educated  in  Europe,  was  a  master  of  the  Ar- 
menian language  and  versed  in  Armenian  history,  himself  an 
author.  He  had  a  fine  taste,  a  clear  and  concise  style,  and 
left  no  piece  of  work  unfinished.  To  go  over  with  him  his 
Armenian  translation  was  always  for  me  a  lesson  in  language, 
for  which  I  was  grateful.  He  served  with  great  fidelity  for 
more  than  20  years. 

Mr.  Antranig  Ayvazian,  the  Turkish  translator,  was  a  man 
of  bright  mind,  a  very  rapid  worker,  and  a  faithful  friend. 
Coming  to  America  in  1884,  he  studied  medicine  and  for 
many  years  served  New  York  as  a  city  physician. 

Mr.  Sdepan  Sarkisian  was  for  more  than  20  years  a  careful 
proof-reader  and  a  reliable  business  agent.  Foregoing  mar- 
riage, he  gave  the  fruit  of  a  life  of  labor  to  his  sister,  first 
to  provide  for  her  a  suitable  dower  and  then  to  care  for  her 
and  her  children  when  she  was  left  a  widow. 


REMINISCENCES  313 

Another  assistant  in  the  Turkish  department  was  Fetullah 
Keiffi  Effendi.  Born  in  Kourdistan,  of  a  Kourdish  father 
and  an  Arab  mother,  educated  in  the  school  of  a  famous 
mosque,  he  was  proficient  in  Turkish,'  Persian,  and  Arabic. 
He  became  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity  by  reading 
the  Bible.  Escaping  from  Mosul,  he  came  to  Constantinople 
in  1873,  and  for  five  years  served  on  the  Bible  Revision  Com- 
mittee and  was  my  assistant  in  the  criticism  of  Turkish 
translations.  Many  Turks  knew  that  he  was  a  Christian, 
but  so  gentle  were  his  manners  and  so  sweet  his  spirit  that 
no  one  molested  him.  He  died  prematurely  of  pneumonia, 
greatly  mourned.  Read  the  story  entitled:  "A  Muslim  Sir 
Galahad,"  by  Henry  Otis  Dwight. 

The  papers  were  also  indebted  to  the  many  unpaid  cor- 
respondents for  valuable  articles,  reports  of  religious  meetings, 
and  items  of  news.  Thus  there  grew  up  a  community  of 
interest  and  solidarity  of  feeling  among  those  who,  by  reason 
of  the  expense  of  travel  and  other  hindrances,  could  never 
meet  face  to  face.  Thus,  too,  on  special  occasions,  such  as 
the  erection  of  a  church,  or  in  case  of  a  conflagration,  epi- 
demic or  famine  calls  were  made  on  the  strong  churches  to 
help  the  weak,  contributions  were  acknowledged,  and  the 
doings  of  charitable  and  evangelistic  committees  were  re- 
ported. 

The  chief  joy  of  my  editorial  service  was  that  through  the 
agency  of  the  papers  I  had  the  opportunity  week  by  week 
to  make  known  the  teachings  and  tell  the  story  of  the  Christ. 
Thus  I  aimed  to  enlighten  the  minds  and  elevate  the  thoughts 
and  deepen  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Christian  population. 
Every  aspect  of  Christian  truth  was  presented,  but  contro- 
versy was  avoided.  Answers  were  given  to  opponents  only 
when  the  views  and  acts  of  the  missionaries  and  their  Chris- 
tian brethren  were  misrepresented. 

During  an  editorship  of  12  years  (1872-1884)  our  weekly 
papers  were  twice  increased  in  size  and  the  subscribers  were 


314  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

doubled  and  trebled.-  With  all  the  assistance  that  was  avail- 
able, a  great  deal  of  editorial  work,  proof-reading,  and  busi- 
ness fell  to  my  lot.  A  fourth  part  of  the  weekly  paper  was 
given  to  political  news,  domestic  and  foreign,  and  its  prepara- 
lion,  especially  in  times  of  political  unrest,  massacre,  and  war, 
required  special  caution.  Circumstances  allowed  me  no  vaca- 
tion, summer  or  winter,  for  12  years,  except  on  two  occasions. 

In  1879,  I  had  an  attack  of  sciatica,  and  by  advice  of  physi- 
cians spent  three  months  in  Aachen,  Germany,  and  in  Switzer- 
land. During  this  vacation  I  was  requested  to  go  to  Basel 
and  attend,  as  the  delegate  of  the  Turkey  missions,  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  and  there  I  gave 
an  address  on  "Religious  Liberty  in  Turkey. " 

Again  in  October,  1882,  I  was  so  exhausted  by  labor  that 
my  fellow  missionaries  divided  my  work  between  them,  and 
told  me  to  take  a  vacation.  Thus  I  was  enabled  to  make  a 
most  enjoyable  and  profitable  journey  in  Egypt  and  Palestine. 
It  was  just  after  the  occupation  of  Egypt  by  the  British 
army,  and  the  missionaries  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
had  but  recently  returned  to  Cairo  and  other  stations.  I  be- 
came greatly  interested  in  their  work,  and  visited  places  of 
importance  on  the  Nile  as  far  up  as  Luxor.  Returning  to 
Cairo,  I  was  invited  by  Mr.  Thomas  Cook  to  join  a  party 
under  his  guidance,  and  so  had  the  satisfaction  of  visiting 
Jerusalem  and  other  places  of  interest,  including  Beirut. 
This  journey  furnished  material  for  fortnightly  articles,  for 
a  year,  on  ancient  and  modern  Egypt  and  Palestine. 

On  February  6, 1884,  my  editorial  work  ceased,  and  Messrs. 
H.  0.  D wight  and  I.  F.  Pettibone  took  charge  of  the  three 
weekly  papers  until  Dr.  H.  S.  Barnum,  the  chosen  editor, 
should  return  from  America.  That  evening,  for  the  first  time 
in  12  years,  I  returned  to  my  home  in  Bebek  without ' '  proofs ' ' 
in  my  pocket.  "A  very  laborious,  but  a  blessed  work"  was 
the  comment  on  my  editorial  service,  made  on  that  occasion. 

Up  to  the  date  above-mentioned  subscriptions  had  been  re- 


REMINISCENCES  315 

ceived  for  2,100  papers,  and  orders  were  still  coming  in.  For 
several  years  the  income  for  the  papers  had  been  about  550 
Turkish  pounds  ($2,420) — about  enough  to  pay  for  paper 
and  printing.  The  annual  subscription — $1.50 — equalled  a 
week's  earnings  of  a  common  laborer  in  the  interior  of  Tur- 
key, and  the  list  of  subscribers  was  considered  very  fair  for 
a  weekly  newspaper.  Sometimes  a  single  paper  supplied  the 
wants  of  a  village  congregation.  Nearly  one-third  of  our 
subscribers  were  Armenians  and  Greeks  of  the  old  churches, 
and  many  orders  came  from  towns  and  cities  where  there 
was  no  Protestant  organization.  Thus  the  publication  of 
the  papers  was  amply  justified  as  an  evangelizing  agency. 

On  March  4,  1884,  I  resigned  as  pastor  of  the  Union  Church 
of  Bebek,  which  I  had  held  since  October,  1873.  I  expressed 
thanks  to  God  that  I  had  been  permitted  to  hold  the  pleasant 
relation  so  long,  and  regretted  that  on  account  of  my  mission- 
ary work  I  had  failed  to  do  many  things  which  as  pastor  I 
had  desired  to  do. 

My  last  service  in  Bebek  was  on  March  30,  when  addressing 
the  young  people,  I  preached  on  the  words,  "  Almost  thou 
persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian."  Thirteen  young  persons 
had  joined  the  church,  but  many  had  delayed  to  make  a 
decision  for  Christ.  For  them  and  for  all  the  members  of 
the  church  and  congregation  I  besought  the  Lord  that  at  last 
they  might  all  appear,  an  unbroken  number,  faultless  before 
his  presence. 

OUR  SECOND  FURLOUGH 

On  our  journey  we  were  able  to  tarry  a  few  days  in  Naples, 
Rome,  Paris,  and  London,  and  had  the  happy  opportunity  to 
address  companies  of  Christian  friends,  and  to  add  to  our 
store  of  information  in  regard  to  works  of  art  and  the  lessons 
of  history,  ancient  and  modem. 

After  an  absence  of  13  years  we  reached  Boston  on  June  1, 
1884.  Our  two  sons,  Edward  and  Frederick,  coming  from 


316  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Amherst  College,  were  the  first  to  greet  us.  We  were  proud 
of  such  tall,  noble-looking  fellows,  manly  and  gentle.  Their 
mother  had  sent  to  Frederick  a  piece  of  her  traveling  dress, 
and  the  boys,  spying  us  on  the  upper  deck,  dashed  over  the 
plank  as  soon  as  it  was  in  place,  and  Frederick,  clapping  the 
piece  of  the  dress  on  his  mother's  shoulder,  exclaimed,  "I 
have  found  my  mother."  Soon  after  relatives  came  and  we 
were  taken  to  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardy  in  Somer- 
ville.  After  dinner  16  of  us  had  a  praise-meeting,  and 
nothing  could  so  well  express  our  feelings  as  Psalm  103. 
God's  great  goodness  put  to  rest  our  doubts,  and  assured 
us  that  his  blessings  were  not  measured  by  our  deserts.  We 
attended  the  commencement  of  Amherst  College,  where  Ed- 
ward graduated  with  honor,  and  on  July  5  were  welcomed 
to  the  dear  home  in  Lewiston,  Maine.  Father  Davis  was  in 
feeble  health,  but  was  greatly  comforted  to  see  again  his 
beloved  daughter  and  her  five  sons. 

After  29  years  I  attended  the  commencement  of  Bowdoin 
College,  and  was  surprised  to  learn  that  the  honor  of  doctor 
of  divinity  was  conferred  on  me.  I  could  not  make  myself 
conspicuous  by  declining  the  honor,  but  my  inward  feeling 
was,  What  am  I  and  what  my  attainments  that  I  should 
receive  such  a  degree!  At  the  alumni  dinner  Honorable 
James  G.  Elaine,  Republican  candidate  for  president,  made 
an  excellent  speech,  showing  by  happy  illustration  how  the 
college  is  honored  in  her  graduates ;  he  thought,  however,  that 
the  newly  adopted  elective  system  should  not  apply  to  the 
freshman  and  sophomore  classes.  On  invitation  I  spoke  of 
the  very  creditable  work  which  the  graduates  of  Bowdoin — 
Hamlin,  Wheeler,  Allen,  and  others — had  accomplished  in 
Turkey. 

On  our  journey  west  we  reached  Athens,  Ohio,  on  Septem- 
ber 25  (1884),  and  spent  a  few  days  with  brother  George 
and  family  and  the  dear  mother. 

We  found  her  more  feeble  than  we  had  anticipated.     She 


REMINISCENCES  317 

was  glad  to  see  us  once  more  and  said  that  God  had  spared 
her  for  that  purpose.  On  October  second  we  met  together  in 
mother's  parlor  to  celebrate  her  88th  birthday.  She  was  able 
to  come  in  and  sit  in  her  rocking  chair  and  smile  on  us  as  in 
early  days.  After  she  had  received  our  loving  greetings,  I 
read  the  words,  "In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions, 
.  .  .  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you,"  and  offered  prayer. 
Then  I  said:  "Mother,  you  must  hold  on  until  we  return 
from  our  furlough  at  the  West  and  go  back  to  Turkey  with 
your  blessing."  Mother,  looking  up  with  a  smile,  replied, 
"Joseph,  don't  ask  it.  It  is  enough,  and  if  in  this  month  of 
October  or  in  November  you  hear  that  your  mother  has  gone 
home,  just  fall  on  your  knees  and  give  thanks  to  God. ' '  Again 
and  again  she  expressed  her  firm  trust  in  her  Saviour  and 
her  joy  in  the  hope  soon  to  be  with  him.  Her  one  only 
prayer  was  that  her  children  and  her  children's  children 
might  meet  her  in  heaven.  It  was  no  small  trial  to  part  from 
mother  with  little  hope  of  seeing  her  again  in  the  flesh. 

While  in  Columbus,  the  guests  of  my  brother  Milbury  and 
family,  we  attended  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American 
Board.  After  I  had  made  two  addresses  on  the  religious 
and  political  situation  in  Turkey  and  my  wife  had  greatly 
interested  the  ladies,  we  received  many  invitations  from  pas- 
tors to  visit  their  churches.  We  had,  however,  promised  to 
speak  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Woman's  Board  of  the 
Interior  at  Minneapolis.  While  there,  a  telegram  came  from 
my  brother,  saying,  "Mother  has  gone  home."  She  had 
quietly  passed  away  on  November  5.  She  was  a  dear  mother, 
of  the  good  old  Puritan  type,  distinguished  for  both  grace 
and  grit. 

After  speaking,  by  invitation  of  pastors,  in  Chicago,  Kan- 
sas City,  Sedalia,  St.  Joseph,  Omaha,  Hartington,  Norfolk, 
Sioux  City,  Minneapolis,  Fargo,  St.  Cloud,  Northfield,  and 
other  places,  on  November  18,  we  reached  Oak  Park,  Illinois, 
fittingly  called  "Saints  Rest."  Here  we  were  welcomed  by 


318  .     LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Rev.  S.  J.  Humphrey,  the  genial  district  secretary  of  the 
Board,  by  Eev.  E.  D.  Eaton,  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  many  others,  and  began  housekeeping.  What 
was  our  surprise,  within  less  than  a  week,  to  receive,  one 
evening,  an  official  welcome  from  four  deacons  of  the  church, 
all  very  busy  men!  We  made  our  home  in  this  lovely  place 
until  May,  1886.  Here  our  sons,  George  and  Samuel,  joined 
the  church  on  confession,  and  wife  and  I  by  letter.  For  its 
elevating  social  and  intellectual  life,  for  its  religious  activity 
and  generous  benefactions,  we  found  no  place  in  America 
more  desirable  for  residence. 

A  BUSY  VACATION 

During  our  sojourn  in  Oak  Park  we  had  many  opportuni- 
ties to  speak  on  missions.  By  invitation  of  ladies'  societies 
my  wife  accompanied  me  on  several  journeys.  As  on  our 
first  furlough  (1868-71),  so  now,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to 
be  invited  by  pastors  and  church  committees  and  presidents 
of  colleges,  and  those  who  invited  me  paid  my  expenses.  I 
was  thus  enabled  to  speak  in  94  of  the  principal  towns  and 
cities  of  the  middle  and  western  states,  and  to  deliver  331 
addresses,  lectures,  and  sermons.  In  this  number  are  in- 
cluded addresses  given  in  10  state  conferences  and  in  16 
colleges  and  seminaries.  I  failed  only  once  to  keep  my  en- 
gagement, and  the  reason  was  a  snow-storm.  It  was  a  priv- 
ilege to  meet  in  the  course  of  a  year  and  a  half  more  than 
1,000  ministers,  and  to  be  entertained  in  the  homes  of  many 
of  them.  Their  hospitality  was  generous  and  their  words  of 
appreciation  most  cordial.  For  good  fellowship  and  happy, 
cheerful  company  commend  me  to  our  Christian  ministers 
and  their  wives!  I  generally  gave  a  sermon  and  a  Sunday 
school  talk  in  the  forenoon  and  a  missionary  address  or  lec- 
ture in  the  evening.  In  many  places  from  two  to  five 
churches  joined  in  the  evening  service.  The  themes  of  some 


REMINISCENCES  319 

of  my  sermons  were  these:  " Every  Christian  a  Preacher/' 
" Christian  Consecration,"  "The  Method  of  Giving,"  "Con- 
science." The  themes  of  my  addresses,  in  part,  were: 
"Christian  Missions  in  Turkey  a  Success,"  "The  Press  and 
Education  in  Turkey,"  "The  Attitude  of  the  Turkish  Gov- 
ernment towards  Christian  Missions,"  "The  Political  Situa- 
tion in  Turkey,"  "The  Land  and  the  People  of  Turkey," 
"The  Rise  and  Decline  of  Mohammedanism."  Almost  with- 
out exception  I  spoke  three  times  on  the  Sabbath,  and  in 
many  places  remained  one  or  two  days  longer,  to  address 
ladies'  societies. 

One  experience  specially  gratified  me.  On  a  Sunday  fore- 
noon I  spoke  in  the  Mayflower  church,  Indianapolis,  and  in 
the  evening  in  the  Plymouth  church.  The  pastor  of  the  lat- 
ter church  was  a  very  attractive  and  powerful  preacher,  but 
was  not  esteemed  very  orthodox.  Before  the  service  he  re- 
marked that  I  must  not  give  the  people  too  much  religion, 
nor  speak  more  than  40  minutes,  nor  be  disturbed  if  people 
got  up  and  left.  It  was  a  fine  audience  of  1,000  people.  I 
gave  them  the  best  address  I  could,  putting  in  all  the  Gospel 
the  subject  allowed,  and  speaking  with  great  freedom  for  an 
hour.  The  attention  was  perfect,  and  not  one  person  left 
the  house.  After  the  service  the  pastor  and  many  others  ex- 
pressed warm  thanks.  Would  that  ministers  might  know  that 
in  the  Gospel  of  Christ  and  in  the  story  of  the  spread  of 
God's  kingdom  there  is  power! 

THIRD  DEPARTURE  FOR  TURKEY 

We  had  intended  to  leave  our  two  youngest  boys,  George 
of  15,  and  Samuel  of  13,  years,  and  return  to  Turkey  without 
a  child,  but  as  the  time  of  our  departure  drew  near  we  just 
broke  down  and  found  that  we  could  not  at  present  give  up 
both  boys,  and  so  we  decided  to  take  Samuel  with  us.  It 
was  very  hard  to  part  the  two  boys,  but  in  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


320  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

S.  S.  Rogers,  of  Oak  Park,  we  found  delightful  people  to 
whom  to  intrust  George,  and  Samuel  was  glad  to  go  with 
father  and  mother.  On  Sunday  evening,  May  2,  I  preached 
on  Christian  Consecration,  and  after  the  service  many  of  the 
congregation  waited  to  say  farewell  and  to  commend  us  to 
the  Heavenly  Father's  care.  Frederick,  who  had  just  com- 
pleted his  first  year  in  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  was 
with  us,  and  on  Tuesday  morning,  May  5,  as  the  train  drew 
away  we  watched  the  dear,  sweet  faces  of  Frederick  and 
George  as  long  as  we  could,  and  then  for  a  long  time  tried 
to  stay  our  tears. 

After  visits  to  my  brothers  and  to  mother's  grave  in  Ohio, 
after  parting  for  the  third  time  with  Father  Davis  and  with 
our  sons  Joseph  and  Edward  and  friends  in  Lewiston  and 
Boston,  and  after  a  farewell  meeting  in  the  Park  Street 
church,  presided  over  by  Dr.  Clark  and  very  fully  attended, 
on  June  24,  1886,  we  sailed  from  Boston.  On  boarding  the 
steamer  we  found  a  telegram,  which  had  just  come  from 
Frederick  and  George,  in  these  words:  "Good-by,  God  be 
with  you,  Is.  43  :2. ' '  This  Scripture  was  a  precious  word  of 
comfort.  Blessed  to  us  had  been  our  visit  in  the  homeland, 
more  precious  than  ever  the  love  of  the  dear  children  and 
relatives  and  friends,  and  most  precious  of  all  the  assurance 
that  the  eternal  God  was  our  refuge  and  that  underneath 
were  the  Everlasting  Arms. 

"We  had  a  pleasant  voyage  to  Liverpool,  and,  leisurely 
crossing  the  continent,  reached  Constantinople  on  August  17. 

THE  EVANGELICAL  CHURCHES  OF  CONSTANTINOPLE 

By  request  of  the  Constantinople  station,  wife  and  I  en- 
tered on  direct  missionary  work  in  the  city  and  outstations. 
After  one  year's  residence  in  Bebek,  we  moved  to  Pera,  in 
order  to  be  nearer  our  work  in  the  city,  and  here  we  lived 
for  seven  years. 


REMINISCENCES  321 

The  evangelical  work  in  Constantinople  for  the  first  50 
years  may  be  divided  into  three  periods,  the  first  of  which 
was  the  period  of  seed-sowing  (1831-46).  The  distinguish- 
ing characteristic  of  this  period  was  the  intimate  relation 
between  the  missionaries  and  the  people,  and  the  direct  per- 
sonal labor  of  all  the  missionaries  with  individuals.  In  1841 
Mr.  D wight  received  at  his  house  more  than  1,000  calls, 
mostly  from  persons  who  desired  religious  conversation.  In 
1844  Mr.  Goodell  spoke  as  follows  to  some  of  the  Armenian 
brethren :  ' '  If  this  work  of  God  go  forward  for  the  10  years 
to  come  as  it  has  gone  forward  for  the  10  years  past,  there 
will  be  no  further  occasion  for  any  of  us  to  remain  here, 
unless  it  be  to  assist  you  in  bringing  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
precious  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  the  Greeks,  and  Jews,  and 
others  around  you."  Clearly  it  was  by  reason  of  a  wonder- 
ful growth  of  grace  in  their  hearts  that  the  Armenian 
brethren  were  prepared  to  endure  the  cruel  persecutions 
which  followed  (1844-46). 

The  second  period  was  that  of  ingathering  (1846-61).  The 
single  aim  of  the  missionaries  had  been  to  cast  the  leaven  of 
the  Gospel  into  the  mass  of  the  Oriental  churches,  with  the 
hope  that  in  time  all  needed  reforms  in  those  churches  would 
be  wrought  out  from  within.  Had  the  light  of  the  Gospel 
been  welcomed  and  diffused,  the  whole  Armenian  church 
would  have  been  revived  and  restored  to  Gospel  purity,  but 
the  party  in  the  church  which  represented  darkness  tri- 
umphed, and  the  followers  of  the  light  were  cast  out.  The 
legitimate  result  was  the  recognition  on  July  1,  1846,  of  the 
First  Evangelical  Armenian  Church,  of  40  members  (see 
Chapter  V).  Within  one  year  of  its  organization,  48  new 
members  were  added  to  the  church,  and  within  15  years  the 
total  number  of  persons  received  to  church  fellowship  in  Con- 
stantinople rose  to  272. 

The  third  period  was  that  of  spiritual  drought  (1861-86). 
During  this  period  Robert  College,  the  Home  School  (now 


322  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Constantinople  College)  and  the  Bible  House  were  erected, 
the  model  versions  of  the  Bible  in  Turkish  and  Bulgarian 
were  completed,  and  much  faithful  and  fruitful  labor  was 
expended  on  books  and  periodicals,  but  in  rearing  the  spir- 
itual temple,  the  living  church  of  God — the  aim  and  crown 
of  all  our  work — Constantinople  lagged  behind  Marsovan,' 
Cesarea,  Harpout,  Aintab,  Marash,  and  several  smaller  cities. 

Now,  if  missionaries  and  native  ministers  had  been  called 
to  give  an  account  of  their  stewardship  during  this  period, 
it  might  have  been  said,  and  with  truth,  that  the  laborers  in 
Constantinople  and  vicinity,  both  foreign  and  native,  in  car- 
ing for  the  civil  interests  of  the  whole  Protestant  community, 
in  educational  institutions  and  in  the  publication  of  books 
and  periodicals,  had  been  serving  the  evangelical  cause 
throughout  the  empire. 

It  might  also  have  been  said,  and  with  truth,  that  in  the 
attempt  to  evangelize  the  heterogeneous  population  of  Con- 
stantinople, numbering  more  than  1,000,000,  the  means  at 
the  command  of  the  missionaries  and  their  fellow-workers 
were  utterly  inadequate. 

One  great  lack  of  the  evangelical  churches  was  suitable 
houses  of  worship.  By  means  of  the  "West  Fund"  and  the 
"Hamlin  Fund  for  Church  Building,"  Protestant  congrega- 
tions in  many  parts  of  the  empire  were  enabled  to  erect 
churches  and  chapels,  but  nothing  was  done  for  Constanti- 
nople. The  First  Church,  organized  in  Pera  in  1846,  and 
the  Second  Church,  called  the  Langa  Church,  organized  in 
Stamboul  in  1850,  worshiped  from  the  beginning  in  rented 
houses,  or,  in  the  case  of  the  First  Church,  by  favor  of  the  Ger- 
man ambassador,  and,  later,  of  the  Dutch  minister,  in  embassy 
chapels.  They  had  the  use  of  the  chapel  for  but  one  hour  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  in  Sunday  school  work,  week-day  services  and 
social  gatherings  were  seriously  handicapped.  Our  evangel- 
ical brethren  were  willing  to  do  all  they  could  to  provide 
themselves  with  church  buildings,  but  they  were  few  in  num- 


REMINISCENCES  323 

ber  and  in  moderate  circumstances,  and  the  erection  of 
churches  in  Constantinople  was  of  necessity  costly.  The 
missionaries  fully  appreciated  the  need,  and  on  behalf  of  the 
missionaries  Dr.  Dwight  made  repeated  appeals  to  the  Board 
for  aid  to  build  churches  (in  the  first  instance  for  the  Per  a 
congregation),  but  without  success.  This  failure  to  aid  the 
church  of  Pera  was  a  great  hindrance  to  its  growth  and  a 
serious  mistake.  To  recognize  the  evangelical  brethren  in 
the  capital  of  the  Ottoman  empire  as  a  church  surely  implied 
a  measure  of  responsibility  to  help  provide  them  with  a 
church  home. 

More  serious  than  the  lack  of  church  edifices  was  the  lack 
of  cooperation  between  the  missionaries  and  the  evangelical 
churches  of  Constantinople.  In  1858  the  Armenian  pastors 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Constantinople  station  held  a  meet- 
ing in  the  capital,  and  in  a  communication  to  the  mission- 
aries requested  that  the  churches  through  their  ministers 
have  equal  voice  and  vote  with  the  missionaries  in  any  and 
all  action  taken  in  regard  to  work  among  Armenians.  In 
reply,  the  missionaries  agreed  to  the  plan  proposed  for  the 
formation  in  every  station  of  a  " mixed  council"  of  mission- 
aries and  native  delegates,  in  equal  numbers,  for  the  man- 
agement of  the  evangelistic  and  educational  work  among 
Armenians,  with  the  proviso,  however,  that  requests  from  the 
"mixed  council"  for  money  from  the  Board  be  submitted 
to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  missionaries  for  examination 
and  approval,  and  be  communicated  by  them  to  the  officers 
of  the  Board.  This  proviso  was  rejected  by  the  native  min- 
isters, and  the  demand  was  repeated  that  the  "mixed  coun- 
cil" have  direct  communication  with  the  officers  of  the  Board. 
This  demand  of  the  native  ministers,  repeated  on  several 
subsequent  occasions,  was  a  great  mistake.  The  Board  of 
right  held  its  missionaries  responsible  for  the  disbursement 
of  funds  committed  to  their  charge.  The  missionaries  might 
well  commit  to  a  "mixed  council,"  as  was  afterwards  done, 


324  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

the  expenditure  of  appropriations  given  for  specific  objects, 
but  the  Board  would  never  release  its  missionaries  from  final 
responsibility  for  the  disbursement  of  its  appropriations. 

This  question  remained  undecided  until  1883,  when  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Board,  on  recommendation  of  the  spe- 
cial deputation  sent  by  the  Board  to  Constantinople,  ap- 
proved for  substance  the  very  proposal  made  by  the  mission- 
aries to  the  native  ministers  in  reply  to  their  demand  of  1858. 
After  this  action  of  the  Board  in  1883,  station  conferences, 
composed  of  missionaries  and  native  delegates,  were  formed 
in  the  different  missionary  stations  for  the  management  of 
the  evangelistic  and  educational  work  among  the  Armenians. 

During  this  long  period  of  25  years  the  evangelical  Arme- 
nians maintained  friendly  relations  with  the  missionaries, 
against  whom  they  never  alleged  any  personal  complaint,  but 
at  the  same  time  there  was  continued  criticism  and  contro- 
versy, with  a  distinct  decline  of  the  spiritual  life  and  of  zeal 
for  the  cause  of  Christ.  Thus  there  was  a  lamentable  loss 
of  precious  opportunities  which  never  returned.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  this  period  the  iron  was  hot  and  then  was  the  time 
to  strike.  Even  after  the  decision  of  the  Board  in  1883  it 
was  uphill  work.  It  was,  however,  a  matter  of  rejoicing  that 
during  this  long  period  of  coldness  and  controversy  the  ques- 
tion at  issue  did  not  to  any  considerable  extent  affect  our 
Protestant  brethren  outside  of  Constantinople  and  vicinity. 

EVANGELISTIC  LABOR 

Such  was  the  situation  when  wife  and  I  entered  on  direct 
missionary  work  in  1886.  The  evangelical  people  of  the  city 
were  almost  lost  in  the  great  and  heterogeneous  crowd;  hin- 
drances to  the  spread  of  true  religion  were  varied  and  multi- 
tudinous, and,  worst  of  all,  among  our  own  brethren  there 
were  many  differences  and  a  low  spiritual  life.  It  was,  how- 
ever, a  joy  to  us  that  in  all  our  missionary  life  we  had  been 


REMINISCENCES  325 

in  intimate  and  happy  relations  with  both  pastors  and 
churches,  and  that  now  we  had  not  a  few  beloved  fellow- 
workers.  Besides  the  religious  services  in  English  in  Robert 
College  and  the  Home  School,  there  were  maintained  in  dif- 
ferent quarters  of  the  city  10  services  in  three  languages 
every  Sabbath.  During  this  period  (1886-94)  five  Armenian 
and  two  Greek  preachers  were  engaged  in  this  work.  All 
these  were  true  men,  devoted  to  the  cause  of  God,  and  we  re- 
joiced to  hold  up  their  hands  and  supplement  their  work. 
In  evangelistic  labor  we  had  also  as  our  fellow-workers  Eev. 
Charles  H.  Brooks  and  wife,  who  for  15  years  (1875-90) 
labored  with  zeal  and  ability  for  the  Greeks. 

No  native  preacher  lived  in  the  great  quarter  of  Pera,  and 
there,  by  request  of  the  evangelical  Armenian  church,  we 
maintained  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  and  spent  much  time 
visiting  the  Protestant  families  scattered  over  several  square 
miles.  In  one  very  destitute  quarter  of  Pera,  inhabited  by 
Armenian  and  Greek  families,  our  city  missionary  gathered 
a  goodly  number  of  poor  and  neglected  children  in  a  Sunday 
school. 

Every  Sunday  afternoon  it  was  a  joy  to  join  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  a  meeting 
in  the  Bible  House  Chapel. 

A  ministers'  meeting,  held  every  Monday  afternoon  at  the 
Bible  House,  afforded  the  opportunity  to  criticise  sermons,  to 
tell  the  story  of  our  experiences  and  to  counsel  together.  We 
shared  our  griefs  and  joys,  and  came  intimately  to  know  and 
love  one  another. 

Every  Monday  forenoon  the  10  colporters  employed  by 
the  Bible  societies  met  me  for  the  study  of  the  Turkish  New 
Testament.  Several  of  the  preachers  also  formed  a  class  to 
study  the  " Manual  of  Christian  Evidences,"  published  by 
Professor  Fisher  of  Yale  University. 

There  were  almost  always  a  few  Turks  at  the  service  in  the 
hall  of  the  Koum  Kapou  Coffee-house  in  Stamboul,  where  for 


326  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

many  years  I  preached  in  Turkish  every  Sunday  afternoon, 
and  many  young  Turks  came  to  my  house  in  Pera  for  relig- 
ious conversation.  I  had  always  at  hand  a  suitable  passage 
in  the  Osmanli  version  of  the  Bible,  and  this  passage  I  in- 
vited my  Turkish  visitor  to  read.  Thus  we  had  a  profitable 
theme  for  conversation.  In  these  interviews  I  never  uttered 
a  word  in  criticism  of  the  authorities  or  of  the  Mohammedan 
religion,  but  always  urged  on  the  young  Turks  fidelity  to 
duty  and  loyalty  to  the  government.  No  form  of  missionary 
service  afforded  me  more  satisfaction  than  these  interviews. 

In  1890  a  fresh  and  very  earnest  effort  was  made  by  a  com- 
mittee of  the  Pera  church  and  myself  in  Constantinople  and 
by  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin  in  America,  to  raise  money  for  the 
erection  of  a  house  of  worship  in  Pera.  Native  Protestants, 
with  a  few  Gregorian  Armenians  and  Greeks,  subscribed  700 
Turkish  pounds,  and  missionaries  and  foreign  friends  in  Con- 
stantinople doubled  the  amount.  Generous  gifts  were  re- 
ceived from  friends  in  America,  and  in  October,  1891,  of 
money  already  paid,  both  in  Constantinople  and  America, 
$13,000  were  placed  at  interest.  Fortunately,  years  before, 
a  site  adjoining  the  German  embassy  chapel  had  been  pur- 
chased by  the  Pera  church,  but,  unfortunately,  the  church 
was  obliged  to  wait  still  many  years  for  permission  from  the 
government  to  build.  The  effort,  however,  which  the  church 
made  and  the  generous  aid  and  sympathy  of  foreign  friends 
cheered  and  united  the  members  of  the  Pera  church.  An  ac- 
count of  the  dedication  of  the  handsome  new  house  of  wor- 
ship in  1907  is  given  on  page  333. 

In  1880  the  American  Board  purchased  a  site  in  the  quar- 
ter of  Stamboul,  called  Gedik  Pasha,  for  the  erection  of  a 
house  of  worship  for  the  Second,  or,  as  it  was  called,  the 
Langa,  church.  In  1889  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  Willis  James  and 
son,  of  New  York,  visited  Constantinople,  and  I  accompanied 
them  to  the  different  places  of  Protestant  worship  on  a  Sab- 
bath day.  I  had  had  no  previous  acquaintance  with  Mr. 


REMINISCENCES  327 

James,  but  on  our  way  I  told  him  of  the  great  need  of  houses 
of  worship  in  Pera  and  Stamboul,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the 
site  purchased  for  the  Langa  church.  At  the  Gedik  Pasha 
Sunday  school  Mr.  James  made  an  address  to  400  children, 
and  on  our  return  to  Pera,  as  we  were  passing  the  church  site, 
he  said  to  me:  "Mr.  Greene,  the  Pera  project  seems  to  me 
a  big  job,  but  the  Gedik  Pasha  meeting-house  appears  feas- 
ible, and  I  wish  to  say  to  you  that  when  you  put  in  the  founda- 
tion for  this  new  church,  call  upon  me  and  I  will  give  you 
$5,000  to  assist  in  the  work."  I  was  overwhelmed  with  sur- 
prise and  joy.  Mr.  James  gave  me  his  card,  and  we  parted. 
Months  passed.  We  had  been  hard  at  work  to  get  permission 
to  build,  and  had  not  received  it.  I,  therefore,  wrote  to 
Mr.  James,  and  inquired  whether  it  would  be  agreeable  to 
him  to  remit  to  the  treasurer  of  the  American  Board  the 
money  he  had  so  kindly  proffered.  Mr.  James  at  once  ac- 
cepted my  suggestion,  and  remitted  the  money  to  Boston. 
This  was  in  April,  1890.  Finally,  after  waiting  21  years,  the 
imperial  firman  authorizing  the  erection  of  the  church  was 
received.  When  in  April,  1911,  I  informed  Mrs.  James  and 
her  son,  Mr.  Arthur  Curtiss  James,  of  this  fact,  and  also  that 
Mr.  James'  gift  of  1890  had  by  interest  doubled  in  amount, 
these  kind  friends  were  pleased  to  send  me,  each,  $2,500 
towards  the  completion  of  the  church.  Other  gifts  were 
added  by  native  and  foreign  friends,  and  but  for  war  the 
church  would  have  been  completed  ere  this  writing  (1915). 
Thus  at  last  the  First  and  Second  Evangelical  Churches  of 
Constantinople  secured  houses  of  worship. 

A  special  care  for  the  outstations  occupied  much  of  my 
time. 

ADRIANOPLE 

This  city  was  an  important  town  of  ancient  Thrace,  and, 
restored  by  command  of  Hadrian  in  A.  D.  120,  took  his  name. 
Captured  by  the  Turks  in  1361,  for  92  years  it  was  the  Turk- 


328  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

ish  capital.  One  hundred  and  forty  miles  northwest  of  Con- 
stantinople, on  the  line  of  railway  between  Constantinople 
and  Vienna,  it  is  the  most  important  city  of  the  Balkan  penin- 
sula. It  had  a  population  of  100,000,  made  up  of  Turks, 
Christians,  and  Jews.  In  the  city  and  vicinity  there  were 
said  to  be  50,000  Greeks.  Here  an  evangelical  church  was 
formed  in  1862,  and  worshiped  in  the  large  hall  of  the  par- 
sonage. The  church  was  served  by  several  good  ministers, 
but  had  no  marked  growth.  In  the  course  of  its  history  300 
persons  were  connected  with  the  Protestant  community,  but 
in  1893  only  13  Protestant  families  remained.  When,  as 
often  happened,  the  church  was  without  a  preacher,  mission- 
aries and  native  ministers  from  Constantinople  visited  the 
city.  Adrianople  afforded  a  rare  opportunity  for  spiritual 
labor,  especially  among  the  Greeks,  but  lack  of  means  pre- 
vented continuity  of  effort,  and  in  late  years  the  church, 
under  very  untoward  circumstances,  has  declined  in  numbers 
and  strength. 

EODOSTO 

In  this  city  of  35,000  people,  on  the  European  shore  of  the 
Marmora,  an  evangelical  church  was  formed  in  1852.  Up  to 
1905  the  church  had  sent  out  nine  preachers,  11  male,  and  20 
female  teachers,  and  nine  colporters.  Fifty-one  members 
were  then  absent  (14  in  America),  and  there  remained  in 
the  Protestant  community  but  61  persons,  of  whom  only  10 
were  men.  The  withdrawal  of  so  many  vigorous  and  edu- 
cated young  men  and  women  seriously  weakened  the  church. 
With  a  pastor  wise  in  counsel,  zealous,  and  devoted,  the 
church  for  many  years  maintained  services  in  two  quarters 
of  the  city  and  had  an  excellent  school,  but  here,  too,  as  at 
Adrianople,  by  reason  of  emigration  and  of  lack  of  continuity 
of  service  the  church  has  dwindled  almost  to  the  vanishing 
point. 


REMINISCENCES  329 

DARDANELLES 

The  town  of  Dardanelles,  called  by  the  Turks  Chanak 
Kalesi,  situated  midway  on  the  Asiatic  side  of  the  strait,  until 
recently  contained  10,000  inhabitants,  half  of  whom  were 
Turks.  Here  Bibles  were  sold  by  colporters,  and  a  goodly 
number  of  Armenians  became  enlightened  by  the  study  of 
the  New  Testament,  and  in  1880  were  recognized  by  the  gov- 
ernment as  a  Protestant  community.  Fifteen  of  the  number 
were  received  into  Christian  fellowship  by  the  pastor  of  the 
Rodosto  church,  who  frequently  visited  the  place.  In  some 
respects  this  was  a  model  community,  in  good  repute  in  the 
town,  friendly  to  one  another,  and,  in  proportion  to  their 
means,  liberal  and  self-denying. 

My  visits  to  these  outstations  were  frequent,  and  on  each 
occasion  I  was  occupied  with  religious  services,  with  visits 
to  Protestant  families,  to  the  Armenian  national  schools  and 
to  the  authorities. 

A  SORE  TRIAL 

In  the  experience  of  missionaries  separation  from  children 
is  one  of  their  severest  trials.  Missionary  children  generally 
find  their  careers  in  the  land  of  their  parents,  to  which  of 
necessity  they  go  for  education.  So  our  five  sons  were  sent 
to  America,  each  in  his  14th  or  15th  year.  With  one  excep- 
tion they  pursued  their  studies  in  Phillips  Academy,  An- 
dover,  and  in  Amherst,  Harvard,  or  Beloit  college.  On  their 
departure,  one  by  one,  our  grief  was  mitigated  by  two  con- 
siderations. First,  we  had  had  each  boy  with  us  for  14  years, 
and  had  tried  by  word  and  example  to  teach  the  boys  the 
Christian  way  and  to  accustom  them  to  walk  therein.  They 
had  learned  their  Bible  fairly  well,  had  come  to  know  their 
need  of  a  Saviour  and  to  recognize  their  Saviour  in  Jesus. 
Secondly,  their  father  and  mother  firmly  believed  in  God's 


330  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

covenant  of  grace,  namely,  that  on  the  condition  of  parental 
fidelity  (Gen.  18:19)  the  God  who  had  had  mercy  on  the 
parents  would  incline  the  hearts  of  the  children  to  keep  his 
law  (Acts  2:39).  The  last  boy  to  leave  was  Samuel  (May, 
1888).  We  had  done  what  we  could  to  teach  him  to  be  self- 
reliant  and  manly,  but  how  desolate  was  home  without  his 
cheery  voice!  And  not  to  return!  Yet  even  here  the  Lord 
comforted  us.  All  of  our  boys  have  confessed  their  faith  in 
Christ.  At  this  writing  (1916)  the  oldest  son  is  a  farmer, 
the  second  a  doctor  in  Boston,  the  third  the  secretary  of  the 
United  Hospital  Fund  in  New  York,  the  fourth  a  teacher 
in  the  Lane  Technical  School  of  Chicago,  the  fifth  an  elec- 
trical engineer  in  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  and  the  sixth  a 
student  in  Amherst  College.  Four  are  married,  and  together 
they  have  seven  sons  and  five  daughters. 

"THE  DEAR  LITTLE  MOTHER"  IN  HEAVEN 

She  attended  the  funeral  of  an  aged  Protestant  sister  and 
took  a  severe  cold.  After  a  few  days  congestion  of  the  lungs 
ensued,  which  ended  in  pneumonia.  Her  heart  became  so 
enfeebled  that  the  doctor  could  do  nothing  to  relieve  her. 
Seeing  her  low  state,  I  asked  her,  "What  shall  I  say  to  the 
children?"  She  replied  feebly:  "I  have  said  all  I  could, 
I  have  prayed  all  I  could.  May  they  be  good  children.  The 
Lord  bless  them.  Give  them  my  love."  Consciousness  left 
her,  and  at  11 :30  A.  M.,  January  27,  1894,  she  passed  through 
the  pearly  gates.  Loving  hands  dressed  her  in  a  white  robe 
and  laid  her  in  the  casket.  Amid  the  flowers  she  loved  so 
well  was  a  beautiful  white  cross,  with  the  words  "Mother, 
From  Her  Children."  Above  the  casket  were  the  pictures 
of  her  boys  and  of  the  wives  of  Edward,  and  Frederick,  and 
the  little  grandson  Phillips,  while  at  the  side  hung  the  pic- 
tures of  her  three  little  girls  who  had  passed  on  before  her. 

Dr.  Herrick  conducted  a  fitting  funeral  service,  and  kind 


AN  ARMENIAN  TOMBSTONE   OF  A.  D.   934 
Evidence   of   a   high   state   of   art. 


REMINISCENCES  331 

friends  sang  the  little  mother's  loved  hymn,  "I  will  sing  you 
a  song  of  the  beautiful  land." 

A  large  company  of  Armenian,  Greek,  American,  English, 
and  German  friends  took  a  last  look  at  the  tranquil  face,  and 
followed  to  the  Ferikeuy  cemetery.  Dr.  Barnum  read  the 
burial  service,  the  mound  was  covered  with  wreaths  and 
crosses,  and  our  last  tribute  of  love  to  the  little  mother  was 
done. 

It  was  hard  to  realize  that  after  42  years  of  intimate  ac- 
quaintance and  36  of  married  life,  she  was  gone.  She  had 
scarcely  had  a  serious  illness  in  her  life.  Her  feet  and  hands 
were  so  active  in  doing  good,  and  her  boys,  far  away,  had  so 
much  need  of  her  weekly  messages  of  love  and  counsel  and  of 
her  unfailing  prayers,  how  could  she  be  spared!  Mysterious 
providence!  We  cannot  fathom  it,  but  we  hear  the  Master 
say,  "What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know 
hereafter. ' ' 

THIRD  FURLOUGH 

After  four  years  of  missionary  service  in  Van,  my  son 
Frederick  was  obliged,  on  account  of  the  high  altitude,  to 
withdraw  from  Eastern  Turkey.  It  was  a  great  pleasure  to 
welcome  him  and  his  wife  and  two  children  to  my  home  in 
May,  1894.  I  hoped  that  the  climate  of  Constantinople  might 
restore  his  health  and  enable  him  to  continue  his  missionary 
labor,  and  that,  finding  a  home  in  his  family,  I  might  be  able 
to  carry  on  my  work  without  a  break.  My  son's  health,  how- 
ever, required  a  complete  and  prolonged  change,  and  so,  after 
a  month's  stay  with  me,  he  and  his  family  proceeded  to 
America. 

For  eight  months  after  my  wife's  death  I  continued  my 
Turkish  preaching  in  Stamboul,  sometimes  depressed  by  the 
thought  that  the  seed  sown  was  bearing  no  fruit,  and  some- 
times encouraged  by  a  sign  of  blessing.  One  morning,  on 
my  way  to  the  Bible  House,  a  well-dressed  man  stopped  me 


332  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

and  began  to  kiss  my  hand.  When  I  drew  back,  the  stranger 
said:  "I  am  an  Armenian  lawyer,  and  some  months  ago  I 
heard  you  preach  in  the  Stamboul  Coffee-house  on  the  words : 
'Adam,  where  art  thou?'  You  recalled  to  me  how  at  dif- 
ferent periods  of  my  life  I  had  forgotten  God,  and  impressed 
on  my  mind  that  there  is  no  fleeing  from  him,  and  I  have 
never  forgotten  the  lesson."  That  the  good  seed  had  found 
a  lodgment  in  this  stranger's  heart  gave  me  much  cheer. 

Preaching  in  Stamboul,  religious  services  in  Pera,  classes 
in  the  Bible  House  and  the  general  superintendence  of  the 
evangelistic  work  fully  engrossed  my  attention,  but  my  mis- 
sionary associates  urged  me  to  seek  a  change  of  scene  and 
service  for  a  year,  and  by  authorization  of  the  Prudential 
Committee,  on  September  25,  I  left  Constantinople,  and 
reached  Boston,  October  20,  1894.  During  the  year's  fur- 
lough I  found  a  happy  home,  first,  with  my  son  Edward  in 
Boston  and,  afterwards,  with  friends  in  Oak  Park,  Illinois. 

At  a  reception  given  me  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Cook  in 
Boston,  March  (1895),  I  read  by  request  a  paper  on  "Relig- 
ious Liberty  and  American  Rights  in  Turkey,"  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  memorialize  the  government  on  the 
subject.  The  following  week  my  son  Frederick  and  I  were 
favored  with  an  interview  with  Mr.  Gresham,  Secretary  of 
State,  and  laid  before  him  the  need  of  American  consuls  in 
Turkey,  and  ultimately  consuls  were  sent  to  Harpout  and 
Erzroum. 

As  on  my  first  and  second  furloughs,  so  now  I  was  invited 
by  pastors,  state  conferences,  ladies'  missionary  societies, 
and  colleges  to  address  them.  The  addresses  and  lectures, 
east  and  west,  numbered  106  and  entailed  no  expense  on  the 
Board.  Thus  my  time  was  fully  occupied,  and  my  heart  was 
made  glad  by  the  cordial  welcome  of  pastors  and  other 
friends. 

By  the  favor  of  God,  on  September  10,  1895,  I  was  married 
in  Ripon,  Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Mathilde  Hermine  Meyer,  who 


REMINISCENCES  333 

was  born  and  brought  up  in  that  city.  She  taught  in  the 
Young  Ladies'  Seminary  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois;  then  for 
six  years  had  eminent  success  as  a  teacher  in  Sendai  and 
Kyoto,  Japan.  After  this  service  she  returned  to  Jackson- 
ville, and  resumed  her  former  position,  and  remained  there 
until  shortly  before  the  time  of  our  marriage.  She  reestab- 
lished my  home  in  Constantinople  and  by  her  unbounded 
devotion  enabled  me  to  continue  in  missionary  work  for  an 
additional  15  years. 

FOURTH  VOYAGE 

After  seeing  friends  in  America  and  after  delightful  visits 
with  Mrs.  Greene's  relatives  in  Germany,  we  reached  Con- 
stantinople on  November  5,  1895.  We  met  with  a  most  cor- 
dial welcome  from  missionary  and  native  friends,  and  by  vote 
of  the  Constantinople  station  took  up  our  residence  in  Pera, 
the  European  quarter,  and  here  on  January  25,  1897,  the 
birth  of  our  son  Theodore  brought  brightness  and  joy  to  our 
home. 

DEDICATION  OF  THE  FIRST  EVANGELICAL  CHURCH 

On  an  earlier  page  mention  was  made  of  the  raising  of 
funds  to  build  the  Pera  church.  At  length,  after  14  years 
of  waiting,  in  September,  1904,  the  imperial  firman  for  the 
erection  of  the  church  was  issued,  and,  to  the  great  delight  of 
all,  the  work  of  erection  was  begun.  Finally,  on  October 
20,  1907,  the  new  house  of  worship  was  dedicated.  It  is  a 
miracle  of  grace  that  this  church  should  have  survived  for 
61  years,  with  no  building  of  its  own,  with  no  place  for  a  day 
school  or  Sunday  school  or  social  meetings,  and  allowed  the 
use  of  an  embassy  chapel  for  only  one  hour  of  the  Sabbath. 
With  the  interest  on  the  sum  invested  in  1891,  and  with  addi- 
tional gifts  from  Protestant  and  Gregorian  Armenians, 


334  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

Greeks,  Jews,  and  Turks,  there  were  at  last  in  hand  $25,000, 
and  with  this  sum,  on  a  site  previously  purchased  in  Pera, 
both  a  house  of  worship  and  a  parsonage  were  completed. 
The  building  is  of  stone  and  brick,  can  seat  300,  and  has 
rooms  in  the  basement  for  a  day  school,  Sunday  school,  and 
social  meetings.  The  dedication  services  drew  audiences  of 
500,  among  whom  were  many  Gregorians,  including  three 
representatives  of  the  Armenian  patriarch,  editors  of  four 
daily  papers,  lawyers,  and  merchants.  The  services  were 
held  both  morning  and  afternoon,  with  native  pastors,  repre- 
sentatives of  other  churches,  and  missionaries  participating  in 
the  exercises.  Ten  children  were  presented  for  baptism  and 
seven  young  men  and  nine  young  women  were  received  into 
membership,  and  the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated.  The  of- 
ferings of  the  day  amounted  to  $220.  The  impression  made 
on  the  large  audiences  was  very  happy.  The  two  English  and 
the  four  Armenian  daily  papers  gave  full  reports,  and  cor- 
dially responded  to  the  sentiments  of  the  speakers.  Thus 
the  First  Evangelical  Church  had  justified  its  claim  to  live 
and  witness  for  Christ,  and  with  the  Reverend  A.  B.  Schma- 
vonian,  educated  in  Robert  College  and  in  America,  as  pastor, 
started  on  a  hopeful  career. 

FOURTH  PERIOD  OF  SERVICE  (1895-1910) 

Mention  is  due  of  two  Armenian  pastors  and  one  Greek 
pastor  who  died  during  this  period. 

Rev.  Avedis  Asadourian,  after  a  theological  course  in  Ain- 
tab  under  Dr.  Schneider,  taught  in  the  seminary  at  Marsovan 
for  10  years  and  served  as  pastor  at  Constantinople  for  28 
years.  He  was  a  devoted  and  efficient  man,  of  excellent  judg- 
ment and  spirit,  unwearied  in  labors  for  the  poor,  the  sick, 
and  bereaved.  Especially  after  the  terrible  massacre  in  Con- 
stantinople in  August,  1896,  when  his  house  was  plundered 
and  he  himself  escaped  death  only  by  a  fortunate  absence, 


REMINISCENCES  335 

he  was  an  angel  of  mercy  to  the  decimated  and  impoverished 
Armenian  community  at  Haskeuy  near  the  head  of  the  Golden 
Horn,  where  he  lived. 

Rev.  Arakel  Bedikian,  pastor  of  the  Langa  church,  died 
when  but  43  years  of  age,  and  in  the  height  of  his  usefulness. 
He  was  a  remarkably  attractive  preacher,  and,  better  than 
preaching,  with  a  heart  intensely  sympathetic  he  interested 
himself  in  the  personal  life  of  each  member  of  his  church. 
With  a  sweet  spirit  and  in  a  beautiful  style  he  wrote 
many  articles  on  religious  subjects  for  the  Armenian  news- 
papers. An  immense  company  attended  his  funeral.  Even 
the  Armenian  patriarch  sent  two  members  of  the  higher  clergy 
to  express  the  sense  of  loss  of  the  whole  Armenian  community. 
A  worthy  son  is  now  doing  a  fine  work  as  pastor  of  the  Ar- 
menian church  of  New  York. 

Rev.  Stavri  Mikhailides,  pastor  of  the  Greek  evangelical 
church,  was  an  exceptionally  able,  zealous,  and  spiritually 
minded  man.  A  fine  Greek  scholar  and  an  attractive  speaker, 
he  was  greatly  beloved  and  deeply  lamented. 

Two  other  fellow-ministers,  one  a  preacher  in  Turkish  in  the 
Bible  House  chapel,  and  the  other  a  preacher  in  Armenian  in 
the  Scutari  chapel,  died  during  the  above-mentioned  period. 

Much  time  elapsed  before  the  places  of  these  pastors  and 
preachers  were  filled,  and  in  the  interim  it  was  my  privilege 
to  help  supply  the  pulpits  of  the  various  chapels  by  preaching 
both  in  Armenian  and  Turkish. 

Throughout  this  period  my  work  included,  besides  the 
chapel  services  just  mentioned,  preaching  in  Turkish,  the  last 
hour  of  every  Sabbath,  in  the  hall  of  the  Stamboul  Coffee- 
house; the  Bible  class  of  colporters,  and  attendance  on  the 
ministers'  meeting,  every  Monday;  frequent  attendance  at 
the  quarterly  conferences  of  the  churches  of  Nicomedia,  Bardi- 
zag,  and  Adabazar;  yearly  visits  to  the  three  outstations  of 
the  Constantinople  station,  and  occasional  attendance,  with 
the  giving  of  baccalaureate  sermons,  at  the  commencements 


336  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

of  the  Boys  High  School  at  Bardizag,  and  of  the  Girls  Board- 
ing School  at  Adabazar. 

It  was  also  my  privilege,  for  several  years,  to  assist  the 
Literary  Department  by  attending  to  the  publication  business 
of  the  mission  periodicals  and  to  the  printing  of  Sunday 
School  Lesson  Books. 

In  1907-08  much  of  my  time  was  given  to  the  publication 
of  the  10th  edition  of  the  Armenian  Hymn  and  Tune  Book. 
A  committee  of  native  scholars,  under  the  leadership  of  Mr. 
Daghlian,  professor  of  music  in  Anatolia  College,  made  a 
thorough  revision  of  the  old"  Hymn  Book,  and  by  their  de- 
cision 175  old  hymns  were  dropped,  and  113  new  hymns, 
translated  by  Dr.  Riggs  and  Dr.  Tracy  and  native  scholars, 
were  added,  together  with  seven  Gregorian  anthems,  of  an- 
cient date  and  evangelical  in  tone.  Besides  a  few  original 
hymns,  the  book  contained  translations  of  many  of  the  best 
hymns,  ancient  and  modern,  and  the  choicest  tunes  used  in 
English  and  American  churches.  The  book,  of  424  hymns 
and  anthems,  and  a  pocket  edition  of  the  same  without  the 
tunes,  were  greeted  with  a  hearty  welcome. 

As  secretary  of  the  Western  Turkey  Mission  for  seven  years, 
much  of  my  time  was  occupied  by  attendance  on  the  meetings 
of  the  Committee  ad  Interim  and  on  the  annual  meetings  of 
the  mission,  and  by  correspondence  with  the  interior  stations 
and  with  the  foreign  secretary  of  the  Board.  At  critical 
times,  as  during  the  revolution  of  the  Young  Turks  in  1908 
and  the  reaction  in  1909,  current  events  required  an  almost 
daily  letter  to  Boston. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Western 
Turkey  Mission  in  May,  1906,  there  was  held  in  the  Bible 
House  chapel  the  75th  anniversary  of  the  arrival  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Goodell  and  of  the  beginning  of  missionary  work 
in  Constantinople  and  vicinity  (1831).  It  was  a  fitting  and 
most  happy  memorial  service.  Dr.  Edward  Riggs,  the  chair- 
man, made  the  opening  address,  and  was  followed  by  Mr. 


REMINISCENCES  337 

A.  H.  Boyajian,  Civil  Head  of  the  Protestant  community. 
Letters  from  many  absent  missionaries  and  friends  and  special 
papers  by  Messrs.  H.  S.  Barnum,  George  F.  Herrick,  Joseph 
K.  Greene,  C.  C.  Tracy,  and  Robert  Chambers  were  read. 
The  exercises  were  greatly  enjoyed,  and  a  full  report,  includ- 
ing the  letters  and  papers  read,  was  printed  in  pamphlet  form. 
Another  anniversary  occasion  was  the  double  Jubilee  of 
Dr.  Herrick  and  myself  on  November  17,  1909.  We  reached 
Turkey  the  same  year,  Mrs.  Greene  and  myself  in  February, 
and  Dr.  Herrick,  then  unmarried,  in  December,  1859.  Ameri- 
can, English,  and  native  friends  gathered  in  the  home  of  Mr. 
Peet,  our  mission  treasurer,  for  the  celebration.  President 
Mary  Mills  Patrick  and  President  C.  F.  Gates  spoke  for  the 
two  colleges ;  Professor  Jejizian,  of  Robert  College,  for  native 
friends;  Dr.  Bowen  for  the  American  Bible  Society;  Pro- 
fessor Millingen  spoke  as  President  of  the  Turkish  branch  of 
the  Evangelical  Alliance,  and  Dr.  H.  S.  Barnum  for  the  West- 
'ern  Turkey  Mission.  Mr.  Peet  read  a  letter  from  Dr.  E.  E. 
Strong,  as  secretary  of  the  Prudential  Committee,  and  one 
from  President  Capen  on  behalf  of  the  American  Board. 

In  a  retrospect  of  the  50  years  (1859-1909)  Dr.  Herrick 
mentioned  three  important  features  in  the  conduct  of  the 
work — the  establishment  of  high  schools  and  colleges,  the 
opening  of  hospitals  and  dispensaries,  and  the  phenomenal 
increase  of  women  missionaries. 

In  summing  up  the  work  of  this  period  Dr.  Herrick  said : 
'  *  We  who  together  have  given  a  century  of  service  to  evangel- 
istic work  in  the  Ottoman  empire  exult  in  the  privilege  so  long 
granted  us  of  sharing  in  a  work  on  which  the  divine  blessing 
has  so  conspicuously  rested ;  and  we  bid  all  who  come  after  us 
to  work  with  a  confidence  unshaken,  that  advance  in  the  years 
to  come  in  all  departments  of  our  common  work  will  be  with 
accelerated  velocity,  will  be  with  a  wider  constituency  than 
heretofore,  will  enlist  an  increased  number  of  competent  labor- 
ers, will  do  more  than  any  other  influence  or  agency  to  con- 


338  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

tribute  to  the  safe  and  permanent  establishment  of  real  liberty 
and  constitutional  government  and  to  the  final  triumph  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  of  the  church  of  Christ  in  this  land. ' ' 

I  expressed  my  joy  to  have  been  permitted  to  associate  so 
long  with  such  a  noble  band  of  workers,  missionary  and 
native,  and  my  great  regret  to  retire  from  the  work  at  such  a 
time.  Family  reasons,  however,  constrained  withdrawal,  and, 
on  the  whole,  it  seemed  better  to  go  when  everybody  said 
"Stay,"  rather  than  wait  until  everybody  should  say  "Go." 

A  NOVEL  SPECTACLE 

On  Sunday,  May  22,  1910,  a  unique  service  was  held  in  the 
Bible  House  chapel.  The  American  ladies  in  charge  of  the 
mission  work  at  Gedik  Pasha  and  the  English  ladies  in  charge 
of  the  work  at  Koum  Kapou  arranged  a  joint  Sunday  school 
festival^  in  concert  with  the  World  Sunday  School  Convention 
at  Washington.  Attended  by  their  lady  teachers,  some  400 
Sunday  school  children  marched  in  procession  from  Koum 
Kapou  and  Gedik  Pasha  through  the  streets  of  Stamboul  to 
the  Bible  House,  singing  all  the  way  in  English,  "Onward, 
Christian  Soldiers."  They  carried  Turkish,  American,  and 
English  flags,  and  beautiful  banners,  large  and  small,  on  some 
of  which  was  written,  in  Turkish,  Armenian,  and  Arabic  let- 
ters, the  motto,  "God's  love  conquers,"  while  on  one  banner, 
in  four  languages  were  the  words,  "Jesus  said,  ' Suffer  the 
little  children  to  come  unto  me.'  3 

In  the  chapel  at  the  rear  end  rows  of  seats,  rising  nearly  to 
the  ceiling,  had  been  built  up,  and  here  the  children  were 
seated.  Flags  of  all  nations  where  Sunday  schools  are  found, 
and  emblems  and  flowers  adorned  the  place.  Besides  the 
children,  about  300  men  and  women  crowded  into  the  chapel. 
Varied  exercises  of  song  and  Scripture  recitations,  with  a 
Sunday  school  address  by  Rev.  H.  K.  Krikorian,  and  prayer? 
in  Turkish,  Armenian,  and  Greek,  occupied  an  hour.  The 


REMINISCENCES  339 

audience  dispersed  with  praise  and  thanksgiving,  and  the 
procession,  re-formed,  marched  back,  singing  as  they  came. 
Almost  all  the  children  were  from  non-Protestant  families. 
The  streets  were  lined  with  spectators,  mostly  Turks,  but  no 
interruption  occurred.  Such  a  procession  was  never  seen  in 
Constantinople  before,  and  clearly  showed  that  we  were  living 
under  a  new  regime. 

A  TRIBUTE  OF  GRATITUDE 

On  Saturday  evening,  May  7,  1910,  Mrs.  Greene  and  I  met 
by  invitation,  in  the  home  of  Mr.  James  Gatheral,  a  large 
number  of  English  and  Scotch  friends,  residents  of  the  village 
of  Bebek.  Here  my  first  wife  and  I  took  up  our  residence 
in  1872,  and  here  with  our  baby  Theodore  my  second  wife 
and  I  came  to  reside  in  1897.  On  reaching  our  friend's 
house  we  found  it  was  a  surprise  party,  gathered  to  express 
the  appreciation  and  thanks  of  the  community  to  Mrs.  Greene. 
After  tea  the  Rev.  Robert  Frew,  pastor  of  the  Union  Evan- 
gelical church  of  Pera,  and  also  preacher  at  Bebek,  made  a 
highly  appreciative  address,  enlarging  on  the  usefulness  of 
the  private  school  which  Mrs.  Greene  opened  in  1903,  and 
in  which,  without  expense  to  the  American  Board,  for  seven 
years  she  had  taught  English,  Armenian,  Greek,  and  Turkish 
children,  giving  instruction  in  the  Bible  to  Mohammedan 
pupils  as  to  all  others,  and  fitting  several  boys  for  college. 
Mr.  Frew  also  highly  commended  Mrs.  Greene's  work  in  the 
Sunday  school,  the  missionary  society,  and  the  ladies'  benev- 
olent circle,  and  ended  his  address  with  the  presentation 
to  her  of  a  handsome  Damascus  stand,  with  Oriental  em- 
broidery and  curtains.  Mr.  William  Sellar,  the  oldest  mem- 
ber of  the  English  community  in  Bebek,  added  very  happy 
remarks  and  reminiscences.  It  was  an  enjoyable  occasion, 
and  a  fitting  tribute  to  Mrs.  Greene  on  closing  her  work  in 
Bebek. 


340  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

FAREWELL  TO  TURKEY 

In  the  autumn  of  1909  the  following  letter,  for  substance, 
was  addressed  to  the  Reverend  James  L.  Barton,  D.  D.,  sec- 
retary of  the  American  Board : 

It  is  now  14  years  since  my  return  from  my  third  and  last 
visit  to  America,  and  should  I  live  until  the  coming  July,  I 
shall  have  completed  51  years  and  four  months  of  missionary 
service.  For  the  privilege  of  this  service  I  am  very  thankful 
to  my  dear  Lord  and  Saviour,  and  to  the  Secretaries  and 
Prudential  Committee  of  the  American  Board.  I  have 
greatly  desired  to  continue  in  the  work  here  so  long  as  I 
might  be  useful.  The  work,  however,  requires  an  able-bodied 
man,  to  visit  not  only  the  Protestant  families  of  the  capital, 
but  also  the  outstations,  and  age  reminds  me  that  it  is  best 
to  give  place  to  a  younger  man.  Moreover,  my  wife,  should 
she  live  till  next  summer,  will  have  seen  21  years  of  missionary 
service,  six  in  Japan  and  15  in  Turkey,  and  she  agrees  with 
me  that  the  time  is  near  when  we  should  withdraw  from  the 
work.  I  may  add  that  our  son  Theodore  ought  now  to  be 
placed  in  an  American  school,  and  our  five  sons  and  11  grand- 
children in  America  claim  a  visit.  Hence  we  request  per- 
mission to  return.  Possibly  the  Lord  may  have  something 
for  us  to  do  in  our  native  land.  Grateful  beyond  expression 
to  God  for  life  so  long  continued,  for  health  uninterrupted, 
for  mercies  unnumbered  and  undeserved,  we  shall  withdraw 
from  the  work  and  from  our  esteemed  missionary  and  native 
fellow- workers  with  deepest  regret.  Our  great  comfort  is  that 
we  can  still  commend  both  the  work  and  the  workers  to  Him 
whose  is  the  work  and  who  is  Lord  over  all. 

FAREWELL  TO  THE  MINISTERS  AND  CHURCHES  OF  TURKEY 

The  following  letter,  for  substance,  was  printed  in  the  mis- 
sion periodicals: 


REMINISCENCES  341 

Constantinople,  June  18,  1910. 
Dear  Christian  Brethren  and  Friends: 

I  have  had  the  great  privilege  and  joy  to  labor  for  the 
people  of  Turkey  for  more  than  half  a  century.  In  this 
period  I  have  visited  America  three  times,  and  during  the 
time  of  each  visit  I  was  occupied  in  presenting  to  the  churches 
of  America  the  claims  of  the  evangelical  work  in  the  Turkish 
empire.  For  God's  great  mercy  in  giving  me  these  long 
years  of  labor  I  give  him  praise.  All  the  missionaries  who 
were  in  Turkey  when  I  arrived  (February  22,  1859)  are 
either  dead  or  are  passing  their  last  days  in  America.  With 
one  or  two  exceptions  all  the  pastors  and  preachers  who  were 
then  in  service  now  rest  in  the  heavenly  mansions.  Though 
for  12  years  (1872-1884)  I  was  editor  of  our  mission  papers, 
I  count  it  a  great  joy  that  whether  at  Nicomedia,  Brousa. 
Manisa,  or  Constantinople,  I  have  passed  all  my  life  as  a 
preaching  missionary,  in  intimate  touch  with  the  people. 
The  Bithynia  Union  was  born  in  my  house  in  September, 
1864,  and  I  have  attended  nearly  all  the  annual  meetings  of 
the  Union.  I  have  loved  the  people  of  the  land  with  all  my 
heart,  and  the  more  I  have  known  them  in  their  homes,  the 
more  I  have  loved  them.  I  look  forward  with  unspeakable 
longing  to  the  time  when  I  shall  meet  in  heaven  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  those  to  whom  I  was  permitted  to  preach 
the  Gospel  in  Turkish  and  Armenian.  I  only  wish  that  I  had 
served  the  Lord  and  the  people  of  the  land  with  more  faith 
and  prayer,  with  a  fuller  consecration  and  greater  usefulness. 
For  all  the  omissions  and  imperfections  of  my  service  I  ask 
my  God  and  my  brethren  to  forgive  me.  When  I  came  among 
you  my  hair  was  black ;  it  is  now  as  white  as  snow,  and  being 
in  my  77th  year  I  cannot  hope  to  see  you  again  in  the  flesh. 

It  is  very  hard  for  me  to  say  farewell  to  the  people  whom 
I  have  known  and  loved  so  long.  I  sympathize  with  all  the 
people  of  the  land  in  their  poverty  and  hardships  and  trials. 
Especially  do  I  sympathize  with  the  evangelical  churches, 


342  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

many  of  which  by  reason  of  their  fidelity  and  endurance  have 
justified  their  recognition  as  true  churches  of  Christ.  The 
transmission  of  a  living  faith  from  parents  to  children 
through  three  generations  is  a  great  achievement,  made  pos- 
sible only  by  Divine  grace,  and  those  churches  whose  mem- 
bers from  generation  to  generation  secure  and  retain  the 
respect  and  commendation  both  of  their  children  and  of  the 
community  surely  deserve  to  live.  A  strong  evangelical 
church  is  God's  own  instrument  in  the  great  work  of  estab- 
lishing the  kingdom  of  God. 

What  then  have  the  evangelical  Christians  of  Turkey  to  con- 
firm their  faith  and  guarantee  their  confidence  in  respect  to 
the  survival  and  growth  of  the  churches?  Have  they  not 
the  same  guarantee  which  Christ  gave  to  his  disciples  a  little 
while  before  his  ascension?  Does  not  his  promise — "Lo,  I 
am  with  you  alway" — still  hold  good?  Twelve  plain  men, 
the  apostles,  were  commissioned  to  disciple  all  nations  in  the 
name  of  Christ.  Endued  with  power  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, they  boldly  addressed  themselves  to  the  task,  and  the 
Christian  church  has  always  believed,  and  history  has  wit- 
nessed to  the  fact,  that  the  power  of  God  was  behind  them. 
It  was  the  Divine  Christ  who  said,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  al- 
way ";  that  is  enough.  "It  is,"  says  Chrysostom,  "as  if 
Christ  had  said  to  his  disciples,  Tell  me  not  of  the  difficulties 
you  must  encounter,  for  I  am  with  you." 

My  Christian  brethren  and  friends,  may  God  help  you  to 
love  your  fellow-men  as  Christ,  who  "came  to  seek  and  save 
the  lost,"  loved  them.  Do  not  belittle  or  undervalue  the 
instrumentalities  which  God  has  prepared  to  advance  his 
kingdom — the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Holy  Book,  the  Holy  Day, 
and  the  living  witness  of  holy  men.  Do  not  depreciate  the 
work  of  the  evangelical  ministry  in  this  land.  On  the  con- 
trary, pray  with  all  earnestness  and  faith  that  "Holiness  to 
the  Lord"  may  be  inscribed  on  both  the  persons  and  the 
property  of  all  evangelical  workers  and  of  all  their  fellow- 


REMINISCENCES  343 

Christians.  Even  if  some  of  us  missionaries  are  not  privi- 
leged to  share  in  the  final  triumph  of  Christ 's  cause  in  Turkey, 
we  look  forward  with  confidence  to  the  time  when  our  suc- 
cessors, in  spite  of  all  difficulties,  shall  join  with  all  native 
Christians  in  bringing  forth  the  top  stone  of  God's  temple 
in  Turkey,  and  when  all  together  shall  join  the  cry,  By  God's 
grace  this  temple  shall  stand  forever! 

God  bless  my  dear  brethren  and  friends  in  all  the  land. 
Farewell. 

LAST  VISITS 

Before  our  departure,  one  day  each  week  for  several  months 
I  spent  in  visiting  nearly  every  Protestant  family  in  Con- 
stantinople. Visits  were  made  to  Nicomedia,  Bardizag,  and 
Adabazar,  with  special  addresses  to  the  boys  of  the  High 
School  in  Bardizag  and  to  the  girls  of  the  Boarding  School 
at  Adabazar;  also  to  the  ministers  and  delegates  of  the 
Bithynia  Union,  at  that  time  convened  in  the  latter  city.  The 
cordial  and  loving  words  of  all  the  native  friends  and  of  the 
members  of  our  missionary  circle  were  greatly  appreciated 
and  will  be  remembered  to  the  latest  hour. 

HOME  AGAIN 

After  an  agreeable  voyage  we  reached  New  York  on  August 
16,  1910,  and  in  the  summer  home  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Edward 
M.  Greene  at  Vineyard  Haven  we  met  five  sons,  three  daugh- 
ters-in-law and  eight  grandchildren,  and  together  we  gave 
thanks  to  God  for  his  goodness  and  mercies.  Had  the  one 
absent  daughter-in-law  and  the  three  absent  grandchildren 
been  present,  we  should  have  numbered  23.  Here  for  12  days 
we  enjoyed  a  delightful  reunion,  the  first  such  meeting  in  the 
experience  of  the  family. 

For  the  sake  of  Theodore's  schooling  we  made  our  home 
in  Oberlin,  Ohio.  Since  our  return  it  has  been  a  great 


344  LEAVENING  THE  LEVANT 

privilege  to  attend  the  annual  meetings  of  the  Board  at  Bos- 
ton, Milwaukee,  Kansas  City,  Detroit,  and  New  Haven;  to 
speak  daily  for  four  weeks  in  each  of  the  great  missionary 
expositions,  called  "The  World  in  Boston,"  in  Cincinnati, 
Baltimore,  and  Chicago;  to  share  in  the  centennial  anniver- 
sary of  the  birth  of  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin,  held  in  Bangor,  Maine ; 
and,  on  the  invitation  of  pastors,  to  visit  the  churches  in  many 
states,  including  those  on  the  Pacific  coast.  For  the  kind 
reception  and  fellowship  of  Christian  people,  and  opportunity 
to  testify  of  the  missionary  work  in  Turkey,  our  hearts  are 
filled  with  praise  and  thanks  to  God. 


INDEX 


Abbott,  Miss  Inez  L.,  252. 

Abouhaiyatian,  Hagop,  119,  175, 
177.  ' 

Adabazar,  Boarding  School,  164; 
Church,  83,  291. 

Adrianople,  5,  327. 

Anon  Kara  Hissar,  227. 

Aid  to  Sufferers,  134. 

Aidin,  307. 

Aintab,   84. 

Aintab  College,  86,  208. 

Aivazian,  Antranig,  312. 

Albanians,  The,  25. 

Allen,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  O.  P.,  94, 
220,  238. 

Allen,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  H.  M.,  141, 
231. 

Allen,  Miss  Annie  F.,  300. 

America,   A   Call   to,    IV. 

American  Board  Missions,  1;  Ob- 
ject of,  99. 

Ancestry,  A  Christian,  271. 

Angeliaforos,    140. 

Angora,  4. 

Anniversary,  75th,  W.  T.  Mission, 
336. 

Annual  Meeting,  Our  First,  287. 

Arabs,  The,  30. 

Arabic,  Bible,  102. 

Armenia,  3;  Deportation,  48a. 


Baldwin,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  T.  A.,  300, 

305. 

Ball,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  N.,  195. 
Balkan  Mission,  247. 
Balkan  States,   12. 
Balkan  War,  Causes,  13. 
Bardizag,   192. 

Barker,  Miss  Annie  M.,  127. 
Barnum,    Rev.    and    Mrs.    H.    N., 

220,  221,  238. 
Barnum,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  H.  S.,  140, 

143,  229. 
Bartlett,    Rev.    and    Mrs.    Lyman, 

195. 

Bartlett,  Miss  Nellie  S.,  226,  308. 
Barton,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  L.,  239. 
Barton  Hall,    189. 
Bebek,    Residence    in,    309;    Evan- 
gelical Church,  315;    Seminary, 

76. 

Bedikian,  Arakel,  335. 
Bereavement,  A  great,  310. 
Bezjian,  Alexander,  116. 
Bible  House,  128. 
Bible     in     vernacular     languages, 

100. 

Bible  Distribution,  131,  137. 
Bible,  The  Oriental  belief,  96. 
Bible,  The  Turkish  version  of,  69, 

72,  74,  137. 


Armenians,   The,    19;    Attitude   of      Bithynia,    5;    High    School,    192; 


Evangelicals,  104. 

Armenian  Church,  its  real  need, 
107. 

Armenian  Question,  The,  33. 

Asadourian,   Avedis,   237,   334. 

Asia  Minor,  2. 

Association  of  Evangelical  Church- 
es, 124. 

Atkinson,  Dr.  Henry  H.,  149. 

Avedaper,  140. 


Baird,  J.   W.,  249,  254. 
Baird,  Miss  Agnes  M.,  252. 


347 


Union,   124. 

Bitlis,  171. 

Blakeley,  Miss  Ellen  M.,  188. 

Blind,  School  for  the,  Ourfa,  180. 

Bliss,  Daniel,  29. 

Bliss,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  E.  E.,  140, 
142,  212,  295,  296. 

Bliss,  I.  G.,  128,  130. 

Boarding  Schools  for  Girls,  Ain- 
tab, 86;  Adabazar,  164;  Marso- 
van,  165;  Hadjin,  185;  Brousa, 
188,  300;  Samokov,  251;  Mon- 
astir,  254. 


348 


INDEX 


Bond,  Lewis,  254. 

Bowdoin  College  Commencement, 
316. 

Bowen,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  M.,  131, 
308. 

Boyadjieff,  Pastor,  250. 

Boyajian,  A.  H.,  337. 

Boyajian,  Tomas,  296. 

Brewer,   Josiah,   66. 

Brewer,  Miss  M.  E.,  199. 

Brooks,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  C.  H.,  325. 

Brousa,  5,  82,  292;  church  organ- 
ized, 84;  farewell  to,  297. 

Browne,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  K.,  238. 

Bulgaria,   12. 

Bulgarians,  The,  13,  22. 

Bulgarian  Bible,  248. 

Bush,  Miss  C.  E.,  167. 

Byington,  T.  L.,  142,  247. 

Calhoun,  S.,  136. 

Capitulations,  The,  44. 

Carey,  E.  F.,  241. 

Case,  Dr.  E.  P.,  149. 

Central  Turkey  Mission,  209,  241. 

Cesarea,  195. 

Chamberlain,  L.  T.,  254. 

Chambers,  R.,  193. 

Chanak  Kalesi  (Dardanelles), 
329 

Chapin,  Mrs.  W.  C.,  189. 

Children,  Separation  from,  329. 

Christ,  the  Oriental  conception, 
96. 

Christie,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  T.  D.,  227, 
242. 

Church,  First  Evangelical,  103. 

Churches,  The  Oriental,  96. 

Cilicia  Evangelical  Union,  124. 

Clark,  N.  G.,  305. 

Clark,  C.  E.,   148. 

Clarke,  J.  F.,  247,  249,  257. 

Clarke,  W.  P.,  254. 

Clarke,  Miss  Elizabeth  C.,  252. 

Coffing,  J.  G.,  287,  293. 

Coffing,  Mrs.  J.  L.,  183,  185. 

Cole,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  R.  M.,  172. 

Cole,  Miss  Harriet  L.,  254. 

Colleges:  Central  Turkey,  for 
Girls,  184;  Constantinople,  for 
Girls,  188;  Robert,  202;  Central 
Turkey,  208;  Anatolia,  211;  Eu- 
phrates, 219 ;  International, 


223;      Saint     Paul's     Institute, 

226;    Van,  229;    Samokov,   248; 

Thessalonica,  253. 
Conflagration   (Brousa),  294. 
Constantian,  Avedis,  115,  137. 
Constantine,  George,  119,  224,  308. 
Constantinople,  6,  66,  68. 
Constantinople,     The     Evangelical 

Churches,  320. 
Conversion,  273. 
Converts,  First,  102. 
Cook,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Joseph,  332. 
Crane,  Charles  R.,  253. 
Crosby,  Howard,  227. 
Cull,  Miss  Phoebe,  300,  306. 

Daghlian,  Prof.,  217,  336. 

Dairyman's  Daughter,  The,  284. 

Dardanelles,  5,  329. 

Davis,  Miss  Delpha,  254. 

Deaf    and    Dumb    School,    Marso- 

van,  166. 
Dedication    of    First    Evangelical 

Church,   Pera,   333. 
Demirdash,  298. 
Deportation,  48a. 
Der  Hagopian,  Mr.,  194. 
Der  Hagopian,  Prof.,  206. 
Der  Sahagian,  Hovhannes,  113. 
Der  Sdepanian,  Dr.,   194. 
Diarbekir,   92. 

Dodd,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  E.   M.,  212. 
Dodd,  Dr.  W.  S.,  152,  153. 
Dodge,  Miss  Grace  H.,  190. 
Dunmore,  G.  W.,  92,  219,  238. 
Dwight,  H.  G.  O.,  2,  70,  140,  142, 

184,  284,  286. 
Dwight,  H.  O.,  139,  143,  313,  314. 

Editorial  Experience,  311. 
Education,  The  Promotion  of,  125. 
Educational    Agency,    Results    of 

the,  234. 

Egypt,  Visit  to,  314. 
Egyptians,  The,  29. 
Egyptiades,  Apostole,  298. 
Eliou,  Prof.,  206. 
Ely,  Miss  Charlotte  E.,  170. 
Ely,  Miss  Mary  A.  C.,   170. 
Engagement,    276. 
Ephesus,  308. 
Ertogrul,   4. 
Erzroum,  94,   149,  172. 


INDEX 


349 


Evangelical  Alliance  Meetings, 
295,  314. 

Evangelical  Churches  of  Constan- 
tinople, 320. 

Evangelistic   Labor,   324. 

Evangelical  and  Gregorian 
Churches,  Union  of,  106. 

Farewell   to   Turkey,    340. 
Farewell  Message  to  Churches  of 

Turkey,  341. 

Faribault,  Welcome  to,  303. 
Farnesworth,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  W.  A., 

195,  196. 

Farnham,   Miss   Laura,    164. 
Farragut,  Admiral,  203. 
Favre  Home  for  Boys,  193. 
Fensham,  Miss  Florence  A.,  190. 
Fetullah  Keiffi  Effendi,  313. 
Fig,  The  Smyrna,  307. 
Filician,  Miss  Anna,   167. 
First  Impressions,  286. 
Fisk,  Pliny,  2,  28. 
Fitzmaurice,  Consul,  37,   177. 
Fowle,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  L.,   196, 

197. 

Fritcher,  Miss  Eliza,  165,  166. 
Fuller,   Americus,   211. 
Furnajieff,    Pastor,    250. 
Furlough,     First,      300;      Second, 

315;   Third,  331. 

Gage,  Miss  Frances  C.,  167. 
Gargiulo,  Mr.,  133. 
Gates,   C.   F.,  205,  207,  222. 
Ghazaros  Effendi  Daoud,  114. 
Ghazaros,  Pastor,  Chermouk,   120. 
Ghiaour,  16. 

Gleason,  Miss  M.  J.,   127. 
Goodell,   Rev.   and   Mrs.   William, 
.     68,  70,  282. 
Goss,   Zenas,  241,   242. 
Grand   Viziers,   7. 
Grant,  Dr.,  144. 
Greece,  12. 
Greeks,  The,  18. 

Greek  Evangelical  Churches,  125. 
Greek  Evangelical  Alliance,  224. 
Greene,  Joseph  K.,  140,  272,  341. 
Greene,  Mrs.,  Tribute  to,  339. 
Greene,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  F.  D.,  231. 
Gridley,  Elnathan,  66. 


Haas,  Dr.  Cyril  A.,  152. 
Had j  in,  Boarding  School,   185. 
Hamilton,  Dr.  Caroline  F.,  151. 
Hamlin,    Cyrus,    75,    82,    91,    99, 

114,  117,  202. 
Hardy,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  N.,  301, 

316. 
Haroutunian,    Pastor    Kara    Kri- 

kor,  87,  118. 

Haroutunian,    Miss    Mary,    180. 
Harpout,  94,  219. 
Harpout      Theological      Seminary, 

237. 

Haskell,  Henry  C.,  247,  249,  250. 
Haskell,  Edward  B.,  253. 
Haskell,  Miss  Mary  M.,  252. 
Herrick,  George  F.,  137,  216,  237, 

330,  337. 

High  Schools  for  Girls,  161. 
High  Schools  for  Boys,   192,   195, 

198. 
Hobart,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter,  280, 

302. 

Home   Missionary   Societies,    125. 
Home  School  for  Girls,  162. 
Home   Training,   272. 
Hoover,  Dr.  Alden  R.,  152. 
Hospital  at  Aintab,   151. 
Hospitals,  The  Opening  of,  147. 
Hospital  at  Marsovan,  148;  Sivas, 

148;     Harpout,    149;     Erzroum, 

149;   Van,  149;   Diarbekir,  150; 

Mardin,      150;      Aintab,      151; 

Adana,  152;  Talas,  152;  Konia, 

153;  Beirut,  153. 
Hospital  Work,   Summary,   153. 
House,   Rev.   and   Mrs.   J.   Henry, 

249,  250,  253. 
Hubbard,   Rev.    and   Mrs.    A.    W., 

199. 

Humphrey,  S.  J.,  318. 
Hunniades,   5. 
Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  336. 

Iconium   (Konia),  4. 

Incident,  An,  279. 

Irwin,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  H.  M.,  198. 

Isham,  W.  B.,  254. 

James,  D.  Willis,  326. 
Janissaries,   7,  9,  66. 
Jejizian,    Alexander,    118,    291. 
Jejizian,  Prof.,  205. 


350 


INDEX 


Jejizian,  Hovsep  A.,  141. 
Jenanian,  Rev.,   227. 
Jenney,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  E.  W.,  254. 
Jerusalem,  Visit  to,  314. 
Jessup,  H.  H.,  29. 
Jews,   The,   21. 

Jillson,  Miss  Jeannie  L.,  300. 
Johnson,  Miss,  Van,  231. 
Joining  the  Church,  274. 
Jones,  Miss  Anna  B.,   127. 
Jubilee    Service    for    Messrs.    Her- 
rick  and  Greene,  337. 

Kalopothakes,  Dr.,   298. 
Karakashian,    Andon,    312. 
Kennedy,   Mr.   and  Mrs.   John   S., 

203,  215,  225. 

Kerovpe,  Pastor,  Cesarea,  195. 
Khadijah,    51. 

Kimball,  Miss  Grace,  Van,  231. 
King,    Jonas,    66,    112. 
King   Memorial    School    for   Deaf, 

166. 

Kinney,  Miss  Mary  E.,   165. 
Knapp,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  George  C., 

Knapp,  Miss  Grace,   173. 
Konia    (Iconium),  4,   153. 
Koran,   The,   9,   49,   50. 
Kossovo    (1389,  1448),  5. 
Koum  Kapou  Service,   128. 
Krikor,   Pastor,  Ichmeh,   120. 
Krikorian,  H.  K.,   141. 
Kulludjian,   Pastor,   Sivas,   120. 

Ladd,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Daniel,  282. 
Language  Study,  284. 
Laodicea,  308. 
Lazar,  King  of  Servia,  5. 
Lee,  L.   0.,   242,  243. 
Leonard,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  Y.,  212. 
Leslie,    Francis   H.,    182. 
Levonian,  Prof.,   120,  244. 
Liberality  of   Protestant  Armeni- 
ans,   122,   123,   239. 
Literary  Department,  136. 
Lobdell,  Dr.   Henry,   145. 
Dong,  Albert  L.,  204. 
Lovell,  Miss  Harriet  M.,  162. 

Macallum,  F.  W.,  141. 
MacLachlan,  Alexander,  225,  227. 
McCallum,  Miss  Emily,  226,  308. 


McNaughton,  James  P.,   194,  300. 

Macedonia,   12. 

Malik  Shah,  4. 

Malta  Printing  Press,  136. 

Maltbie,  Miss  Esther  T.,  252. 

Manisa    (Magnesia),   305. 

Marash,    184,   241. 

Marash      Theological       Seminary, 

241. 

Marden,  Henry,  242. 
Marden,  Mrs.  Etta  D.,  127. 
Marden,  Dr.  Jesse  K.,   148. 
Mardin  Theological  School,  245. 
Markham,  R.  H.,  249. 
Marsh,  George  D.,   247. 
Marsovan  (Anatolia)  College,  211. 
Marsovan  Boarding  School,  165. 
Marsovan    Theological    Seminary, 

236. 

Martyrs,   119,  244. 
Massacres :      Sassoun    ( 1894 ) ,  35 ; 

Harpout  (1895),  221;  Six  East- 
ern     Provinces       (1895),      36; 

Adana     (1909),    42;     All    Asia 

Minor   (1914-15),  44. 
Matteos,    Patriarch,    104. 
Matteosian,  Dr.,  114. 
Matthews,  Miss  Mary  L.,  254. 
Medical  Department,    144. 
Melik  Atamian,  107. 
Mellinger,   Miss   Ida,    176. 
Merriam,   Rev.    and   Mrs.    W.   W., 

281,   282,   293. 
Merrill,  John  E.,  211. 
Mikhailides,  Rev.  Stavri,  119,  335. 
Millingen,  Prof.,  204. 
Ministry,  Native,  111. 
Mission  House,  Stamboul,  127. 
Missionaries,  Pioneer,  66. 
Missionaries,  Aim  of  the,  99. 
Missionaries,     Care     for     Retired, 

302. 
Missionary    Career,    Satisfactions 

of,  256. 
Missionary,  Question  of  becoming 

a,  275. 

Missionary  Home,  Auburndale,  94. 
Missionary    Motive    and    Methods, 

264. 
Missionary  Work,  Results  of  Fifty 

Years,    155. 
Mohammed,    Life    and    Character, 

49. 


INDEX 


351 


Mohammed  AH,  68. 

Monastir,   254. 

Money  Question,  289. 

Montenegro,  12. 

Montgomery,  Giles  F.,  87,  242. 

Morgan,  Homer  B.,  87. 

Morse,  C.  F.,  247. 

Moschow,  Rev.,  308. 

Mount      Holyoke      Seminary      for 

Kourdistan,  172. 
Mouradchai,  299. 

Murray,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  S.,  190. 
Muslim  Sir  Galahad,  313. 

Navarino,  68. 

Newell,  Mrs.  Fannie  M.,  127. 

Newnham,   Miss   Sophia,   193. 

Nice    (Nicaea),  4. 

Nicomedia,  5,  283. 

Nicomedia  Church  organized,  106. 

Norcross,   Miss   Roseltha   A.,   251. 

Normal  School,  Sivas,   198. 

Norton,  Thomas  H.,  221. 

Oak  Park,  Illinois,  318. 

Orkhan,  Sultan,  7. 

Osman,  Sultan,   5. 

Ostrander,  L.  F.,  249. 

Ottoman    Turks,    5;     Empire,    6; 

Success,  6;   Decline,  8;   Reform, 

10. 
Ourfa,   175. 

Papazian,   Manasseh   G.,    119. 
Parmelee,  Dr.  Ruth  A.,  149. 
Parsons,  Levi,  2,  66. 
Parsons,    Rev.    and    Mrs.    J.    W., 

283,  292,  293. 
Parsons,   Miss  Leila   C.    (Mrs.    C. 

W.   Riggs),    165. 
Partridge,   Rev.    and   Mrs.    E.    C., 

200. 
Patrick,   Miss  Mary  Mills,   Ph.D., 

189. 

Pavleva,   Miss  Rada,   254. 
Pearsons,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  215. 
Pears,  Sir  Edwin,  217. 
Peet,  W.  W.,   132. 
Periodicals,  Missionary,  141. 
Perry,   Rev.   and   Mrs.    Henry   T., 

87,  199,  200. 
Peshtimaljian,  112. 


Pettibone,  I.  F.,  132,  143,  213,  237, 
Philadelphefs,    Rev.    Pandeli,    308. 
Philadelphefs,  Miss,   166. 
Pierce,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  E.,   193. 
Poladian,  Avedis,  119. 
Popoff,   Pastor,   250. 
Porter,   Commodore,   283. 
Post,  Dr.  George  E.,  29. 
Post,  Dr.  Wilfred  M.,  152,  153. 
Powers,  P.  O.,  87,   199,  212. 
Pratt,  Dr.  A.  T.,  87. 
Prayer,  Call  for,  293. 
Press  Law  in  Turkey,  311. 
Proctor,  Miss  Myra  A.,  86,  174. 
Protestant     Community,      Forma- 
tion of,  110. 

Rahnuma,   141. 

Rappleye,  Miss  Julia  A.,  188. 

Rayah,   14. 

Raynolds,  G.  C.,  229,  231. 

Raynolds,  Mrs.  G.  C.,  46. 

Reaction    (1909),   40. 

Redhouse,  Sir  James,  139. 

Reform,  Attempts  at,  10. 

Relief  Work,  48a. 

Religious    Liberty    and    American 

Rights,   332. 

Results  of  Fifty  Years,  155. 
Revolution    (1908),   39. 
Reynolds,  Miss  Mary  E.,  251. 
Rhea,  Rev.,  287. 
Richardson,   Sanford,  297. 
Riggs,    Elias,    73,    137,    247,    256, 

278. 

Riggs,  Mrs.  Elias,  75. 
Riggs,  Miss  Margaret    ( Mrs.  T.  C. 

Trowbridge),  209. 
Riggs,  Edward,  215,  237. 
Riggs,  Henry  H.,  222. 
Riggs,  Ernest  W.,  222. 
Robert  College,  202. 
Robert,  Christopher  R.,  202. 
Rockefeller,  John  D.,  190. 
Rodosto,  328. 

Sabah-ed-Din,   163. 

Sage,  Mrs.  Russell,  190. 

Salaries   of   missionaries,   290;    of 

native  workers,  290. 
Samokov,  248. 
Sanders,  C.  S.,  87. 
Saracens,   8. 


352 


INDEX 


Sardis,  308. 

Sarkis,   Pastor,    Chounkoush,    119. 

Sarkisian,  Sdepan,  312. 

Sassoun,  35. 

Saved,   How  to  be?     Replies,   97. 

Schauffler,  W.  G.,  70,  71,  137. 

Schmavonian,  Sdepan   117;   Mard- 

eros,  117;  A.  B.,  141,  334. 
Schneider,  Benjamin,  82. 
Schneider,  Mrs.  Susan  M.,  127. 
Self-Government,   123. 
Self-Support,    121. 
Seljukian  Turks,  4. 
Seoyiid,  5. 

Separation  from  Children,   329. 
Servia,  12. 

Setchanoff,    Pastor,   250,   251. 
Sewny,  Dr.   Levon,   149. 
Seymour,   Miss   Harriet,    167. 
Shattuck,  Miss  Corinna,  174. 
Scheikh-ul-Islam,    11. 
Shepard,   Mrs.    Helen   Gould,    190. 
Shepard,  Col.  E.  F.,  226. 
Shepard,  Dr.  F.  D.,  151. 
Sipahi,   7. 
Sivas,   198. 

Sivas  Normal   School,   198. 
Slovaikoff,  Mr.,  247. 
Smith,  Eli,  2,  28,  67,   102,   137. 
Smith,  Dr.  Azariah,  84,  145. 
Smith,    Miss   Jennie   C.    (Mrs.   H. 

K.   Wingate),    167. 
Smith,  John  F.,  212,  236. 
Smith,  Dr.  Floyd  0.,  150. 
Smyrna,   223,   306,   307. 
Spencer,   Miss    Charlotte   D.,    185. 
Stokes,  Miss  Olivia  E.   P.,   190. 
Stone,  Miss  Ellen  M.,  133. 
Straus,  Hon.  Oscar  S.,  253. 
Strong,  James  W.,  302. 
Sunday  School  Celebration,  338. 
Suleiman,  Sultan,  6. 
Syrians,  The,  27. 

Tanin,  The,  11. 
Tarsus,  226. 
Tavitian,  Simon,  117. 
Telfeyan,  Sarkis,  211,  215,  223. 
Temple,  Daniel,  69,  136. 
Terzian,  Prof.,  116,  242,  243. 
Theological  Schools,  236,  245. 
Thessalonica  Institute,  253. 
Thorn,  Dr.  Daniel  M.  B.,  150. 


Thomson,  W.  M.,  29. 
Thomson,  Robert,  249,  250. 
Thyatira    (Ak  Hissar),  306. 
Toumayan,  Garabed,  237. 
Tracy,  Rev.  and  Mrs.   C.  C.,  212, 

237. 

Translators,  The  Three,  100. 
Treasury  Department,   132. 
Trebizond   Church,    106. 
Trowbridge,   T.    C.,   94,   209. 
Tsakoff,  Pastor,  250. 
Tsanoff,  Pastor,  250. 
Turkish  Dictionary,   139. 
Turkish  Girls,   Schools  for,   17. 
Turks,  The,  3,  15. 
Turks,  The  Young,  38. 
Twitchell,  Miss  Olive  N.    (Mrs.  L. 

S.  Crawford),  127. 

Utudjian,  Pastors  Apisoghom,  Si- 
mon, and  Sdepan,  106,  116. 
Ussher,  Dr.  C.  D.,  46,  149. 

Vacation,  A  Busy,  318. 

Van,  229. 

Van,    defended    by    Armenians    In 

1915,  45. 

Van  Dyck,  C.  V.  A.,  28,  102,  136. 
Venetian  Ambassador  (1573),  7. 
Vienna,  Siege  (1529),  6. 

Walker,  Augustus,  93,  287. 
Warfield,   Miss   Mary   E.,    168. 
Washburn,  George,  132,  203. 
Weakley,  R.  H.,  137. 
Welpton,  Miss  Cora  M.,  187. 
West,    Dr.    and    Mrs.    H.    S.,    146, 

199,   281. 

West,  Miss  Maria  A.,  282. 
West   Fund   for    Chapel   Building, 

147. 
Western     Turkey     Mission,     75th 

anniversary,  336. 
Wheeler,  C.  H.,   122,  220,  238. 
Wheelwright,  Mr.,  139. 
White,   George  E.,  219,  237. 
White,   George  H.,   87. 
Willard,    Miss   Charlotte   A.,    167. 
Williams,  Mrs.  Kate  Pond,  188. 
Wingate,    Rev.    and    Mrs.    H.    K., 

197. 
Woman's  Boards,  Tribute  to  the, 

184. 


INDEX  353 

Wood,  George  W.,  89,  142,  188.          Yarrow,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  E.  A.,  232. 
Woods,  Mrs.  Henry,  190.  Yeranian,  Pastor  Hagop,  227. 

Wright,  Miss  Mary  P.,  167. 

Xenides,  Prof.,  237.  Zenger,   Miss   Marie,   149. 

Zenop,  Mr.,   115. 
Young  Turks,   The,   38.  Zornitza,  25,   142,  247. 


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